Outlaws: A Skip Beat AU
by marauderluverz
Summary: Old West Challenge! Ren is a sheriff in a town in the wild west. Kyoko is a wanted outlaw on the run. Can he help her prove her innocence in a crime she didn't commit? Ren/Kyoko
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: A Safe Haven

To anyone who passed by, they would only see a rather cute young man riding a large white horse across the Wild West. Only Kyoko Mogami knew her true identity. Since becoming a wanted outlaw she had cut and dyed her long black hair to a short boyish light brown haircut. She had left behind her pretty feminine clothing and instead now wore the traditional brown trousers and plaid button up shirt that most young men wore.

She stopped her horse's gallop at the top of a small hill, "Woah, Pegasus. Do you see that town just up ahead? Maybe we'll get lucky there." She patted her horse's mane before pulling the reigns to start towards the sunrise. This time on a journey into the town below.

By the time she entered the town, it was bustling with people going about their daily errands. Most people only gave her a glance or two but no one said anything. Kyoko rode around for several minutes looking for any wanted posters with her face on them. When she saw that there were none, she dismounted her horse.

"Now, let's find you something to drink." Kyoko said to her horse as she led him through the streets looking for a public watering trough.

"Good morning!"

Kyoko was startled by the sudden appearance of a man in glasses in front of her. "G-good morning," she replied, hoping her voice wouldn't betray her gender.

The man before her held out his hand. "Welcome to Haven. I'm Yukihito, the Sheriff's deputy." He explained.

In Kyoko's opinion, he seemed far to trusting to be an effective deputy but that worked in her favor. She smiled back and shook his hand. "Thank you. Is there a place around here where a fella can water his horse?"

Yukihito took in the sight of the beautiful white horse standing just behind the visitor. "Of course! Actually, there's a trough just behind the sheriff's station. Let's head over there."

Kyoko followed the deputy's lead until they stood just outside the small stone building. Sheriff's stations made her nervous and she had to physically force herself forward. She tied Pegasus to a post next to the trough and pet him as he began to drink.

"Now that you've got your horse a drink, perhaps you'd like one as well? We have a great saloon and restaurant in town."

Kyoko nodded. "That sounds perfect."

The pair began walking back into town. Yukihito looked at her. "By the way, what's your name?"

Kyoko was startled. She had forgotten to introduce herself. "Oh, I- I'm Kyok- Kyo. Just Kyo." She had goofed up and almost said her real name. She mentally kicked herself for this mistake.

Yukihito only nodded as he led her inside of the large restaurant. They sat down at the bar which was tended by a beautiful woman with long dark hair that was tied in a braid. Her beauty was only somewhat tainted by what seemed to be a permanent scowl on her face.

"Miss Kanae, what's wrong today?" Yukihito asked as the bartender stepped in front of him.

Kanae rolled her eyes at him. "I've told you before, I don't have time for small talk. What do you want today?"

Yukihito seemed unfazed by Kanae's tone. He continued to smile as he spoke. "Actually, I just brought our new visitor here, Mr. Kyo, to get something to drink."

Kyoko jumped, startled at being suddenly under the scrutinizing gaze of Kanae. She bowed her head in respect. "Nice to meet ya miss." She said. "Could I have a cup of tea?"

Yukihito looked surprised at her drink choice but Kanae only nodded and served a cup of warm tea. "We don't have the luxury of ice this time of year so it'll be warm."

Kyoko smiled politely. "Thank you, Miss Kanae. I appreciate it."

The deputy placed some money on the bar and ordered a beer before Kanae stepped away to tend other customers.

"I have to say, I don't meet many men who prefer tea to a beer or whiskey." Yukihito commented, taking a swig of his own drink.

 _I was hoping he wouldn't say anything._ Kyoko struggled to think of an excuse. "Actually, I don't drink alcohol." She explained.

The man beside her raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Really?"

She nodded. "I- uh, I'm religious." She stuttered out the excuse, then regretted it when he still looked unconvinced.

"So are most men in this town but I still see them in here every day after work."

"Very religious." Kyoko emphasized. At least it was an excuse that would get her out of drinking alcohol. If there was anything she couldn't stomach, it was the taste of alcohol.

As she finished her cup of tea, Kanae returned to their part of the counter. "So, Kyo, how long are you in town for?" she asked.

Kyoko bit her lip in uncertainty. "I'm not really sure. Hopefully, I'll be here a while."

Kanae nodded. "Then you'll be needing to stay here I'd figure. Seeing as this is the only hotel in town."

"I don't really have any money-"

The bartender held up a hand. "Don't worry about the money. As long as you help out around here I'll let that be payment for your room and food."

Kyoko beamed at her new friend's generosity. She stood and shook Kanae's hand enthusiastically. "Thank you so much, Miss Kanae!"

Kanae pulled her hand away. "It's no problem. I could use some help around this place. Come by later and I'll show you your room."

Kyoko nodded and watched as Kanae stepped away. Yukihito rose from his seat. "Well, now that that's settled, how would you like me to show you around town?"

"Thanks. I'd appreciate it." She replied. She followed him out of the saloon and he led her down the dirt road.

After walking through the entire town, Kyoko now knew the locations of things such as the general store, the schoolhouse which doubled as a church, mayor's office, stable, and the doctor's office. Finally, Yukihito led them back to the Sheriff's station.

"And now we are back where we started." He announced happily. Just then the door to the building opened and a tall man with dark brown hair and extremely good looks stepped out of the door.

"Yukihito! Where have you been?" the tall man asked, his voice sounded strained, as if he was frustrated but trying to hide it.

"Sorry, Sheriff. I was showing around a new visitor." He explained gesturing towards Kyoko.

She felt her hair stand on end. She hadn't anticipated meeting the Sheriff so soon. In all honesty, she had planned to try to avoid him completely. She prepared herself for his questions, but his next words were not to her.

"Well, we are needed out at Mrs. Shino's home. Some coyotes got into her chickens and she needs help safeguarding the coop for tonight." The Sheriff told his deputy. "It's already getting late so we need to hurry and take care of it while we still have sunlight."

Yukihito said a quick good bye to Kyoko before following after the quickly retreating Sheriff. Once they were out of sight, she allowed herself to breathe again. _That was a close one._ She told herself as she walked to Pegasus and began to pet him. _At least this means he didn't recognize me. Maybe I really will be able to stay here a while._

She untied her horse and led him back through town. "I guess my first stop should be the stables to find you a place to stay." She said to him in a sweet voice. Pegasus hadn't always been hers. He had actually belonged to the lovely couple she had stayed with before coming to Haven. They had helped her tremendously by providing her a place to hide, and helping her change her appearance to that of a boy when she needed to flee.

 _I hope they're okay. I wouldn't have wanted them to get in any trouble because of me._ She thought as she followed the path back to the stables/blacksmith.

"Why hello there, young man."

Kyoko looked up at the sound of a deep voice. In front of her stood a strangely dressed man with dark hair and a long mustache.

"Um, hello, sir." She greeted with a bow of her head.

"You new to our town? I don't think I've ever seen you around before." He asked peering closer at Kyoko's face.

She took a nervous step back. "Yes, I'm new. Just arrived in town today."

The man stared at her seriously for a moment before his face broke out in a grin. He patted her back hard. "Well, welcome! I hope you'll stay a while and enjoy yourself. We have a dance coming up in a few weeks. It'll be mighty fine."

She nodded, "of course." She watched as he continued walking past her. "What a strange man." She muttered staring after him.

Kyoko shook her head to clear her thoughts and headed into the stables. Inside only a few of the stalls were occupied but she didn't see any humans.

"Hello?" she called out. "anybody here?"

"Woah!" she heard a cry and a splash from a nearby stall and hurried forward. There on the floor of the stall lay a young man only a few years older than herself. He had dark hair and currently had a bucket stuck on his foot.

"Are you okay?" Kyoko asked, helping him to his feet.

He kicked the bucket off of his foot. "Yeah, I'm fine. You just startled me." He picked up his hat off the ground and returned it to his head. "Who are you?"

Kyoko blushed lightly. "Oh, sorry. I'm Kyo. I just came into town and I was looking for a place to stable my horse." She gestured back to Pegasus.

The man nodded, "Good to meet you. I'm Shinichi. I run the stable. Let me find you a stall for your horse."

"Thank you." She replied with a pleasant smile.

Once she had stabled her horse, Kyoko headed across the street to the general store. It was larger than she had expected for a small town but everything was kept tidy and organized. She stepped up to the counter. A young man with brown hair sat behind the counter reading a newspaper.

"Um, excuse me?" she said softly, not wanting to startle him as she had done with the stable owner.

He looked up and stared at her for several moments, a light blush tinged his cheeks and he cleared his throat and stood. "Oh, I'm sorry. How can I help you?"

Kyoko smiled, "Thank you, I just was wondering where you kept the belts." She gestured towards her own worn piece of rope that she had fashioned as an impromptu belt.

The shopkeeper did a double take when he saw what she was wearing. At first glance, he had assumed Kyoko to be a woman, but the clothes she wore quickly proved him wrong. He blushed again as he realized he had thought she was pretty.

"Right over there by the hats. We don't carry very many but hopefully you can find something you like." He explained quickly. "I'm Hikaru, if you need anything else."

"I'm Kyo. Thank you." She replied sweetly. She turned and cursed herself inwardly for speaking like a girl, before stepping away to look at the belts.

She quickly picked out a brown belt and a bar of soap, before heading back to the counter.

As Hikaru added up her total he talked to her. "So what brings you to Haven?"

"I'm just looking for somewhere to stay a while. Maybe find a place to live for good." She answered, trying to sound calm. She had to remember that in a small town everyone would ask her things like that.

Hikaru's eyes lit up at the mention of her staying. "Well, let me know if you need anything."

She nodded, smiling at the kindness in her newfound friend's words. "I appreciate it."

Kyoko left the general store with the items she had bought as well as her small satchel of personal items. She entered the restaurant and approached the busy bar. She figured by the setting sun, it must be around dinner time. She found Kanae serving some food to a table and waited patiently until she was finished.

The older girl turned and nearly ran into her. "Oh! Hell, don't go scaring me like that." Kanae cried out.

"Sorry, Miss Kanae. I just didn't want to interrupt you." She apologized.

Kanae shook her head, "Are you ready for a room?" she asked.

"Yes, thank you."

Kyoko followed Kanae up two flights of stairs and down a hallway lined with rooms. She stopped in front of one of the doors and pulled out a key. She unlocked the door and led Kyoko inside.

"Here's your room. There's a tub through there and a chamber pot and water basin. This is your key." She held out the brass key to Kyoko. "Don't lose it and make sure you lock your door at night."

Kyoko nodded earnestly. "Yes, ma'am."

Kanae stared at Kyoko intently. "Now, I just have one more question."

"What is it?"

"Why are you pretending to be a man?"

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you so much for reading the first chapter of my first fully AU pic! I hope you enjoyed it. I will try to update every week. Let me know if anything was unclear or confusing. :) thanks again!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Getting Settled

"Why are you pretending to be a man?" Kanae asked Kyoko as they stood in the small hotel room.

"Wh- I- I don't know what you mean." Kyoko sputtered out in shock. How had someone discovered her secret?

Kanae folded her arms over her chest. "Don't try to lie to me. You may have everyone else fooled but I know a man when I see one, and you're not one."

For a moment, Kyoko considered trying to run, but with Kanae in front of the door escape would be impossible. She felt tears spring to her eyes, realizing this could be it. Taking a deep breath, she looked straight into the older girl's eyes.

"I am on the run."

Kanae raised an eyebrow. "You're an outlaw?"

Kyoko nodded, "I was framed. I'm wanted for a crime I didn't commit."

"Who framed you?" Kanae asked, still watching Kyoko warily.

"The man I was in lo-" she grimaced as if the words hurt, "My childhood friend."

Kanae nodded. To her, Kyoko didn't seem like the type to be a criminal. She honestly didn't seem smart enough or tricky enough for that.

"All right then, what kind of crime was it?"

Kyoko looked straight at Kanae again. "Theft. He stole something really valuable from a stagecoach transporting it to the bank." She struggled to talk clearly and not let her emotions take over. "I didn't even know anything until he came back to our house we were staying in and ditched the clothes he wore for the robbery. Then he hightailed it out of there and left me to take the blame."

"Well," Kanae shifted uncomfortably. "I'll trust you for now. But if anything seems off I'm gonna call the sheriff." She warned.

Kyoko nodded enthusiastically. "Thank you so much, Miss Kanae!" she bowed low to the girl before her.

"Hey! Enough bowing." Kanae scolded, "Now, what are you good at? How can you help out around here?"

"Um, I am a pretty good cook."

"All right then. Be downstairs at six tomorrow morning to help with breakfast." Kanae turned to leave the room.

"Thank you again," Kyoko said softly. "I won't let you down."

After Kanae had left the room, Kyoko changed into her pajamas and laid down in the bed. It wasn't as soft as what she was used to, but it was better than the hard ground she had spent many nights on in the last month. She sighed as she felt her remaining energy leave her. She reached inside of her nightshirt and pulled out her necklace. On the end of the gold chain hung a blue-purple stone. She held it tightly in her hand.

 _Please, Corn. If you are still with me, please let things get better here. Help things change so I don't have to keep running. As my guardian angel, I believe in you. Thank you._

* * *

The next morning, Kyoko woke up early and headed down to the restaurant kitchen. There she found Kanae waiting for her. She looked serious as always, but Kyoko was learning that this was the usual appearance of the beautiful hotel owner.

"Ready to work, Miss Kanae!" Kyoko said excitedly.

Kanae winced. "Don't be so cheerful this early. It hurts. And you don't have to call me 'Miss'. It's already bad enough that the deputy keeps doing it." She scowled as she mentioned Yukihito but Kyoko thought she could see something different in Kanae's face at the mention of him.

"Now, I have to go set up in the front. Figure out a couple of things you can serve with what's here and write it on this sign." She pointed to a small chalkboard. "There isn't a set menu, it changes every day so anything edible is fine."

Kyoko nodded, "Yes, Miss Kanae."

Kanae glared at Kyoko.

"Sorry, I meant just Kanae." She replied, trying not to laugh. It was rare to meet a woman who disliked being called Miss to such an extent. But Kyoko could tell Kanae was special, and she knew they were going to become close friends.

* * *

Not long after the restaurant opened, it was filled up with hungry townsfolk. Most of whom were single men without a wife to cook for them. This category included the sheriff and his deputy. They settled into their usual table around six-thirty and prepared to eat. Well, Yukihito prepared to eat, while Ren prepared to drink two cups of coffee and eat some toast.

When Kanae approached their table to take their usual order, she spoke before Ren could. "Just to let you know, you may want to order something more than toast today. Our new cook is really something, and everybody's been raving about his food."

"Really?" Yukihito asked with surprise. "Who might that be?"

"Remember the fella you brought here yesterday? He said he's a good cook and it turns out he is." Kanae explained.

Yukihito nodded happily. The sound of a delicious breakfast had helped to whet his appetite. "Why don't you bring us one of each of the specials and two cups of coffee?"

As soon as Kanae had stepped away, Ren shot a glare at his friend. "Why order so much food? You know I'm not going to eat it."

Yukihito laughed, "It'd be good if you did though. Maybe the new cook will make something you'll enjoy?"

Ren rolled his eyes before opening his newspaper to read while he waited. "I doubt he'll make anything I'll be interested in." he mumbled.

Several minutes later, Kanae returned to their table with a tray carrying four plates of food. She set them on the table along with the cups of coffee and stepped away.

Ren glanced up from the paper as the scent of food drifted towards him. There were biscuits with gravy, sausages and eggs, toast with jelly, and a plate of pancakes. He reached out and took the plate of toast and began to carefully spread the jelly over a piece of toast.

Yukihito couldn't help but smile as he watched his friend take a bite out of his bread. After seeing a small smile cross the sheriff's lips, he began to quickly consume the other three plates of food.

When Kanae returned to clear the plates, the deputy looked at her. "Please, give our thanks to the cook. Ren actually ate both pieces of toast this morning." Yukihito bragged.

She looked at Ren with eyebrows raised, "Well, I'm glad you finally enjoyed a meal from this establishment."

Ren smiled a fake smile. "Thank you for breakfast, Miss Kanae." He placed some money on the table and stood up. "Let's go, Yukihito."

His deputy jumped to his feet. He gave an awkward bow of his head toward Kanae. "Thank you, Miss!" he called before hurrying after the long-legged sheriff.

Kanae watched them leave, feeling a small smile on her face. She quickly forced it away with a scowl before returning to the kitchen. There she saw Kyoko working quickly to keep up with the breakfast orders.

"Y'know, everyone's saying this is some of the best food they've had in a while." She informed her. "Even the sheriff liked it and he's known for not eating."

Kyoko's eyes widened. "Really?" she asked in surprise.

Kanae nodded, "Those should be the last breakfast orders. We normally only get a few stragglers after seven so you can finish up and then let me know."

Kyoko nodded, "Yes, Mis- I mean, yes, Kanae."

Twenty minutes later, Kyoko had finished the last order and began tidying up. Kanae returned to check on her. "Hey, I'll take care of the cleaning. You did good this morning. You're free until five for dinner."

"I can help with the dishes though," Kyoko offered. She felt guilty staying there for free if she didn't help out more.

"No, it'll keep me from getting bored. Besides, don't you need to earn some extra money for things you need?"

The younger girl blushed, she had forgotten that she would still need money. "I don't know if I'm good enough at anything for someone to hire me, though."

"Never mind that. Plenty of people in town have errands they need done or little odd jobs they want someone to do. I'm sure if you ask, someone will give you something to do." Kanae encouraged. "Now go on and pack something for lunch, and be back here by five."

Kyoko nodded, then she gave a quick hug to her new boss. "Thank you again, Miss Kanae!" she exclaimed, and Kanae could see that her eyes were just a little wet.

As she watched Kyoko pack a lunch, she wondered, _How long has she been on her own that something like this would make her this happy?_

* * *

Once she had left the restaurant, Kyoko thought of where to go first. _Well, the man who ran the general store was really friendly. What was his name? Hikaru! That was it._ She hurried over to the general store and stepped inside. Because it was early, the shop only had a couple of customer's perusing the shelves.

Kyoko walked straight over to Hikaru where he stood unpacking a recent shipment of wares. "Um, good morning, Hikaru." She greeted him.

He jumped, startled by her sudden appearance. "G-good morning, Kyo!" he replied a little too loudly. "Can I help you find something?"

She smiled, he was sweet. "Actually, I was wondering if you needed any help around the store. Even just a couple of chores or errands? I am trying to help out around town doing odd jobs to earn a little extra money." Kyoko explained quickly.

Even with how nice he seemed, she fully expected Hikaru to send her away. To inform her he didn't need her help to accomplish his job. So it caught her by surprise when he grinned.

"That sounds like a great idea. I have lots of little things that I could use some help with." He told her.

"Really? That's great! I'll do my best. Where can I start?"

"Um," he looked around the store. Before he could decide, the bell by the register was rang. "I have to help a customer, can you finish unloading this box? Just put everything with similar items throughout the store. Anything you're unsure of I can help with after." Hikaru hurried away to his cash register, leaving Kyoko with a large crate of wares to sort through.

She sighed as she examined the many items still left to be sorted. "All right then. Well, I did say I wanted a job."

After a couple of hours of working by herself and with Hikaru, Kyoko managed to unload and organize all of the packages that were inside of the general store. They sat down together on the front porch of the store to eat lunch together.

"Thank you for your help today." Hikaru said.

Kyoko looked surprised, "I should be thanking you." She responded, "I mean, you didn't have to give me work. I'm a stranger who just happens to be in town for a while." She stared down at the sandwich in her hands. "I really am grateful to you for giving me a chance. I didn't know what to do if you had said no." she looked up at him and smiled sweetly.

Hikaru blushed and looked away. _Why on earth am I feeling shy about him thanking me?_ He shook his head and took a bite of his own sandwich.

"Well," he began after swallowing, "If you need more work you can come back here any time. Also my younger brothers run the stable and blacksmith shop. I'm sure they'd be more than happy to find some work for you too."

"You really think so?" Kyoko asked.

He nodded, "And don't be shy about asking other townsfolk. I'll go ahead and let my customers know too."

As they finished their lunches, Kyoko felt her heart soar. Things really were starting to look up.

Once she had finished at the general store, Kyoko found herself wandering the dirt roads of Haven. She wasn't sure if she wanted to relax for the rest of the time before dinner, or try and find more work. Her decision was made for her, however, when Yukihito approached her.

"Kyo! I was hoping I'd run into you." He said when he made his way to her.

She smiled at him, trying not to display her nervousness. "I was helping out Hikaru at the general store. How can I help you, Deputy?"

"Actually, I was talking to Ren just now," he paused, "Oh. That's the Sheriff by the way. And we realized he hadn't formally met you. I told him I'd see if I could find you and bring you down to the sheriff's station to meet him if you aren't busy."

Kyoko felt panic rising within her. What was she supposed to do? The sheriff had asked to see her. _Stop freaking out._ A voice in her head said. _He just wants to meet you. Besides, this is the perfect opportunity to find out what he's really like._

She smiled at Yukihito. "I'd be happy to come down there and meet him. That is, if he isn't too busy. I'm sure being sheriff isn't exactly a relaxing job."

He laughed as he scratched the back of his head. "Well, around here it isn't exactly the most dangerous job." He said as they began the short walk back to the station.

* * *

Inside the station, Ren sat at his desk feeling uneasy. There was something odd about their new visitor but he wasn't sure what just yet. _Maybe meeting him will clear up my concerns._ He mused.

The door opened and his deputy stepped inside followed by the thin and petite young man from the day before. He stood from his seat behind the desk. "Hello, I'm sorry I couldn't take the time to greet you properly yesterday." He said pleasantly, holding out a hand.

Kyoko forced a small smile and shook the extended hand. "I completely understand, Sheriff. It's a pleasure to meet you now. I'm Kyo."

Ren nodded, "Please, take a seat." He gestured to a nearby chair.

She sat nervously. Feeling on edge and ready to run at the first sign of danger.

"So, what brings you to our little town?" the sheriff asked.

"Oh, um, I'm just looking for a new place to settle down. This was a stop along the way. I'm not sure how long I'll be here for." She answered, hoping it sounded believable.

Ren observed the person in front of him. He could tell Kyoko was nervous. _But that's not a sign of guilt in anything. Could just be someone who gets antsy around sheriffs._ He smiled at her. "Well, I hope you'll feel free to let me or Yukihito know if you have any issues while staying in our town." He offered kindly. _I guess I'll just have to keep a close eye on him._

"Th- thank you very much, Sheriff."

"No one in town really calls me sheriff. Please," he said, "Call me Ren."

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you all enjoyed chapter 2! I had a tough time starting it but was excited to be ready to post it. I know in the manga Hikaru and the other boys from Bridge Rock arent really brothers but i decided to make them so for this story. Also i hope you like how i changed the Kyoko/Corn relationship. You'll see more of it later on. And now that Kyoko has officially met Ren some interesting things are sure to happen. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hi y'all! So sorry it took awhile to get the new chapter up. I had some trouble writing this chapter but was really happy with it in the end. Let me know what you think. I hope you like it!**

* * *

Chapter 3: A New Job

The day after meeting the sheriff, Kyoko spent working the morning at the blacksmith's shop with Yuusei, who it turned out was just as kind as his other two brothers; and the afternoon was spent in the stables with Shinichi. She had decided she would do her best to avoid the sheriff for the time being. He seemed to be suspicious of visitors and the last thing she needed was for him to take a special interest in her.

On her fourth day in town, Kanae delivered her a message while Kyoko was still preparing breakfast. She stepped into the kitchen and called out to Kyoko. "Hey, Kyo!"

Kyoko turned to look while still stirring a pan of scrambled eggs. "Yes, Miss Kanae?"

Kanae made a face at being called 'Miss' but continued anyway. "The mayor left a message for you. He asked for you to come by his office after breakfast."

Kyoko nearly dropped the pan she was holding. She set it back on the stove. "The Mayor?" she asked in disbelief.

The older girl nodded, "He said he wanted to talk with you about something." She turned and headed back out to the dining room, leaving Kyoko alone to worry over why the mayor of the town would want to meet her.

After breakfast was finished, Kyoko headed to the mayor's office. She remembered it from her tour with the deputy but now, standing in front of the building, it suddenly seemed much more frightening. She knocked lightly on the door before opening it. Inside of the building were two doorways. One to the left that was open and the other to the right, guarded by a large wooden door that was closed.

She debated on which way to go when a young woman stepped out of the door to the right. She had long blonde hair that she had up in a ponytail and Kyoko noticed that she was quite short and pretty. The woman turned around but jumped when she spotted Kyoko.

"Oh! Who are you?" she asked curiously.

"Um, I'm Kyo. I was coming to see the mayor?" Kyoko responded in an unsure tone.

The woman before her laughed as she seemed to realize who she was. "Oh, that's right. Darling said he had an appointment. Please, come right in. You can call me Jelly."

 _Darling? Jelly? What is she talking about?_ Kyoko wondered as she followed her into the room.

"Darling, you're visitor is here," Jelly called across the office.

At the far end of the office was a desk and sitting behind it, Kyoko was surprised to see, the strange man from her first day in town. She stepped farther into the room as the man stood. He held out a hand.

"Why, Mr. Kyo, it's a pleasure to see you again. Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am the mayor of Haven, Lory Takarada." He spoke dramatically and Kyoko wasn't sure how to react.

She shook his hand, "Um, hello. It's nice to meet you." She said confusedly.

He laughed, "Are you wondering why I asked you here today?"

Kyoko nodded. "Well, yes. I was rather surprised to be asked to talk with the mayor."

"Why don't you go ahead and sit down and I'll start explaining." Lory offered, sitting back down in his own desk chair.

Kyoko followed his direction and sat in a chair. She watched the strange man before her. "H-have I done something wrong, sir?" she asked.

Lory laughed, "No, no. Not at all. I actually invited you here because I had heard you were helping out at some of the shops around town and I wanted to know if you'd be interested in helping out here at the town hall and with the post office occasionally." He leaned back in his chair. "I get worried that Jelly is overworked around here. And I'd like for her to have some help occasionally."

Kyoko's eyes went wide. "You- you're offering me a job?" she asked, her voice full of excitement.

He nodded, "It's not much work but we'd pay you fairly."

"Wow! Thank you so much, sir!" she stood and bowed to him. "I really appreciate your offer."

Lory beamed at Kyoko. "If you have some free time right now, Jelly can begin training you."

She nodded enthusiastically. "Definitely, sir! I'd be happy to start right now." She turned and saw Jelly still waiting by the door.

"Well, come on then. Let's get started." Jelly said waving her over.

Kyoko thanked Lory one last time before following Jelly to the post office side of the building.

"This here is the post office and town hall. People come here to get their mail and send mail, to find out about or suggest events, and to make any complaints." She explained. "And back here," she led Kyoko behind the counter. "Is where we will be working today."

Kyoko stared around the small space. There were a couple of bins of letters and packages, as well as several piles of paper that were covered in scrawled handwriting. "So, where do we start?"

* * *

Ren entered the mayor's office after knocking briefly. "You wanted to see me, Mayor?" he asked walking over to the desk the man was sitting behind.

"Ah, Ren. Yes. I had something I wanted to discuss with you." Lory said calmly. He stood and led Ren back over to the doorway.

"What did you need?" To be honest, Ren didn't care. He got tired of being called to the Mayor's office over trivial things. His inner complaints stopped though when he looked across the hall and spotted Kyo carrying a box while talking happily to Jelly Woods, the Mayor's assistant.

Lory smiled when he saw Ren's reaction. "I was wondering, what you think of our new visitor."

Ren stepped back into the room. "He seems friendly enough." He muttered.

Lory chuckled, "And yet, you don't trust him. Do you?"

The younger man looked back at his Mayor. "I guess I don't. But then, I don't exactly know him."

"Are you concerned?"

Lory's question startled Ren. He hadn't really thought of himself as being concerned about Kyo being in their town, but now… "I guess I do still have some concerns. He is certainly going to great effort to befriend our townsfolk."

Lory patted Ren's shoulder. "If you're worried, why don't you get to know him some more?"

Ren raised an eyebrow. "And how do you recommend I do that?"

"Do what I did." Lory said with a mischievous grin. "Hire him to help out around the Sheriff's station."

"No." Ren answered firmly. "I don't want him getting in the way of my job."

"What better way to keep an eye on him, than to keep him close."

Rolling his eyes, Ren stepped towards the door. "I'm sure I don't need to bother. Having another person around would affect my ability to do my job." He gave a slight bow of his head. "Now, thank you for wasting my time." He smiled a sparkly bright smile. "I think I'll be going now."

As he walked away he could hear Lory laughing. "Just think about it!" the mayor called out. The young sheriff shook his head as he stepped out into the sun.

 _Why on earth would I want to hire someone I hardly know to be involved in possibly the most important job in our entire town?_ He thought incredulously as he began the walk back to the sheriff's station.

* * *

The following days, Kyoko felt exhausted but happy. She was beginning and ending her days at Kanae's restaurant and the rest of her day was split between two jobs. By now everyone in town had taken an interest in her.

One morning she was helping out at the general store, when Hikaru asked her to help make some deliveries.

"Deliveries?" she asked in confusion. "I didn't think smaller stores offered that."

He smiled at her, "We have a few customers who either aren't able to come in or are too busy to. So I try to offer delivery to them." He set two packages on the counter. They were small enough for her to carry and wrapped in brown paper. "This one," he wrote directions across the top, "Is for Miss Mizuki. She lives across town and just had a baby so she asked me to bring this to her."

Kyoko nodded, "I'd be happy to deliver it to her." She picked up the first package.

"And the other one is for the sheriff. So you can just take it to the station." Hikaru explained handing the other package to her.

Kyoko felt her heartbeat speed up. "Um, the sheriff?"

Hikaru nodded, "He gets busy so I try to deliver his things straight to him. Please try to be quick."

Kyoko forced a smile. "Of course! I'll deliver these then be back to eat lunch together."

As she walked out of the store, Hikaru shook his head. "Why are you happy about eating lunch with him? It's just because it's nice to eat lunch with a friend. That's all." He told himself. He quickly picked up a broom and began to sweep in an effort to distract himself from thinking about Kyo's smile.

* * *

An hour after Kyoko left, Ren entered the general store. He approached the cash register. "Good afternoon, Hikaru." He greeted the shop owner.

Hikaru looked surprised to see the sheriff in his store. "Ren, how can I help you?"

"I remembered you said my, um, package should be arriving yesterday." He replied quietly. "I figured I'd just stop by and get it."

Hikaru's eyebrows raised. "Oh, well. I had Kyo go out to make my deliveries today. He has your package. I'm sorry you had to come all the way here but he should be delivering it any time now." He waited for Ren to respond and for a second he saw a flicker of irritation cross his face. But it was gone the next moment and was replaced by a sparkly smile.

"Oh, no. It's my fault for changing our original plan. I'll just wait for him at the station then." He said politely before heading out of the store.

Outside, Ren's smile disappeared. _What is he thinking having a stranger deliver packages? Does he not understand the meaning of confidential?_ He felt his irritation growing. The last thing he needed was somebody seeing what he was ordering from the general store. He ran a hand through his dark hair. _I mean, really. What would they think if they found out their respected sheriff dyes his hair?_

He had just reached the door of the sheriff's station when it opened and Kyo backed out. "I'm sorry for bothering you, Deputy!" she called. Just as she turned she ran straight into Ren's chest, nearly sending them both toppling down the small stairs.

"Woah!" Kyoko cried. She felt strong arms encircle her stopping the feeling of falling. "Thank you-" she froze midsentence as she looked up and met Ren's green eyes with her amber ones.

"You should really be more careful." He commented quietly.

Kyoko jumped away, bumping into the door this time. "I- I am so sorry, Sheriff. I was just, um, delivering a package for you." She scrambled to get the words out. "I just left it inside with your deputy."

Ren nodded, watching her carefully. "Well, thank you for coming all the way here. Next time, you can tell Hikaru I'll just pick it up myself."

Her cheeks flushed but she nodded. When Ren didn't move she looked at him curiously.

"You're um…" he gestured to the door she was blocking.

"Oh!" she jumped and quickly moved around him and down the steps. As she began to step away, she heard Ren call out.

"Kyo, wait!"

She spun around. "Yes?"

"Do you think you could come by tomorrow? I could use some help around the station and Lory mentioned you were helping out around town." He asked awkwardly.

Kyoko smiled and nodded. "Sure. I could come by in the morning after breakfast!"

Ren smiled at her, making her heart flutter. "Great. We'll see you then."

She watched until he had closed the door behind him then turned away and placed a hand over her heart. She could feel it beating furiously. "Stop it. You aren't allowed to do that anymore. It never leads to anything good." She then headed back to the general store. But as she walked she did find herself wondering what it was that the Sheriff had ordered in that little box.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hello my readers! Here is the long waited 4th chapter of the story. Im sorry it took so long. I had this chapter almost completed and then my phone completely died beyond repair and i lost the chapter. It took a while to get my replacement phone and then i had other things happening. I promise a second update this week. So please enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 4: The Sheriff

The next morning after breakfast, Kyoko headed over to the sheriff's station. She was nervous as she knocked on the door.

"Come in!" she heard the familiar voice of the deputy call out.

She pushed open the wood door and stepped inside. "Good morning! It's me, Kyo." She announced.

Yukihito looked up at her and waved. "Good morning, Kyo."

Ren looked up and nodded. "Morning. Yukihito will be showing you what to do." He said seriously before looking back down at the papers on his desk.

"Yes! Thank you." She replied, forcing away the disappointment she was feeling. She turned and walked over to the deputy. _Of course, the sheriff wouldn't be giving me my jobs. He's probably far too busy to worry about training me._

"We can start you with this." Yukihito told her, holding out a broom. "We don't normally have time to tidy up around her, so if you could do that it would be a big help."

Kyoko nodded, taking the broom. "Yes, I can take care of that." She immediately went to work sweeping out the thick layer of dirt that resided on the floor of the office.

As she swept, she couldn't help but steal glances at the solemn sheriff. _He looks much more serious today than he did yesterday. I wonder if something happened._ Ren stretched and she quickly averted her gaze. _Then again, maybe he normally acts this way._

Once she finished sweeping the floor, Yukihito asked her to sort through old papers with him. She looked through the faded and torn papers. Most of them were old wanted posters. These would make her stomach twist painfully.

 _I wonder if any of these people were framed._ She noticed most of the faces that stared up at her were men with scarred faces. But occasionally she'd come across a young man or woman that made her wonder if they had committed the crime they were accused of. And even more so, if they had survived being hunted.

"You feeling okay, Kyo?"

Yukihito's voice made her jump. "What?" she blurted out.

The deputy raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You look kind of pale. Are you feeling okay?" he asked in concern.

Kyoko nodded, swallowing hard. "Y-yes. I'm fine." She replied in a shaky voice.

"Why don't you go pick up lunch?" Ren's quiet voice came from across the room.

Yukihito immediately agreed. "Yeah, you're probably hungry. Did you want me to come with you?"

Kyoko rose quickly. "No, I'll be fine." She replied hurrying out the door.

As she marched toward the restaurant, Kyoko scolded herself. "You could've given everything away just now. Why are you getting so worked up over wanted posters?" she sighed as she stopped to calm her fast-beating heart. "I can't stay here long. I need to clear my name soon."

After picking up their lunches from Kanae, Kyoko headed back to the station. As she walked her mind wandered back to Ren. _I wonder why he seems so cold towards me today. I thought he would at least talk to me a bit while I was working with them._ She shook her head. "Why do I care if he talks to me? I don't need to worry about making friends right now."

She reached the station as Ren was leaving. "Are you going out?" she asked.

He looked startled by her sudden appearance. "Um, yes. I need to run a few errands. Once you finish up whatever Yukihito has you doing, you can be done for today."

Kyoko nodded, "Would you like me to come back again tomorrow?"

Ren looked surprised. "Well, Yukihito could probably use some more help so that would be good if you are available."

She smiled up at him. "All right, then. I will see you tomorrow." She held out one of the paper bags to him. "You should at least take your lunch with you though."

The sheriff nodded and accepted the bag. He watched her enter the station and could overhear her voice as she greeted his deputy.

 _He certainly is strange. But so far he seems harmless I guess._ He thought looking down at the lunch in his hands. He felt a warm feeling in his chest, and vaguely wondered if he should go ask the town doctor for something for it.

That evening, Kyoko stayed down in the restaurant long after everyone else had gone home. She sipped her tea as she watched Kanae finish wiping down the counter. The older girl looked her way as she poured herself her own cup of tea.

"How did it go working with the sheriff today?" Kanae asked.

Kyoko stared down into her cup. "Well, the work was easy enough. And the deputy is always nice to me." She commented. Then she looked up and met her friend's eyes. "Has he always been so serious? The sheriff I mean. He was the one who hired me but he barely talked to me at all."

Kanae scratched her head. "Well, yes. He has always been rather cold towards folks. Even when he first came to town three years ago, he wouldn't talk to anybody if he didn't have to. It's a miracle he even managed to find a deputy."

"Really? He seems to get along with everybody pretty well."

Kanae nodded, "Now he manages. But I think that's only because he realized people needed to trust him." She finished her drink and took a step away from the counter. "If you want him to talk to you, maybe you should try making the first move. I'm sure he'd warm up to you."

Kyoko said good night to Kanae before they each went to their separate rooms. As Kyoko climbed into bed, she briefly wondered if that was what she wanted. _Do I want to be his friend?_

The next day, Kyoko headed back to the sheriff's station after breakfast. She immediately went to work helping Yukihito again. It was most of the same work as the previous day, but today she flew through it.

Yukihito laughed as he watched her. "You can slow down." He teased. "If you work too fast there'll be nothing left to keep you occupied."

She blushed at his words. "Right. Sorry." She replied sheepishly.

Ren watched the exchange from across the room. _Why does he seem familiar? Maybe he reminds me of someone._ He mused. But before he could give it any further thought there was a sudden pounding on the door. It flew open to reveal a girl about eleven years old. She was breathing hard and her face was red from running.

Ren stood immediately and approached her. "Mizuki, are you okay? What happened?" he asked.

The girl took a gulp of air before speaking. "Haru climbed up the tree in the schoolyard and now he cant get down. Miss Ruriko told me to come get you."

Ren nodded then turned to his deputy. "I'll be back. Look after things." Then he hurried out the door with Mizuki.

K yoko stared after him. _This is my chance to see a sheriff in action. But I cant leave Yukihito by himself just because I'm curious._

The deputy watched his helper with amusement before speaking up. "If you want to follow, go. You can still catch up." He offered.

She looked at him in surprise, but that was all the encouragement she needed before jumping out of her chair and running after the sheriff.

As she reached the schoolyard she quickly spotted the tree in question. A large crowd of students and a few adults stood nearby, but the ones who caught Kyoko's eye were a small boy high up in the tree and the man climbing up the tree to get him.

Ren reached the branch the boy was sitting on. He talked to him for several moments, calming him down, before picking him up in one arm and beginning his descent down the tree. Kyoko made her way through the crowd closer to the sheriff.

She watched as he deposited the small boy into the arms of his waiting mother. She hugged her son tightly as she cried. Kyoko could hear mumbled "thank you"s to Ren before the woman disappeared with her child.

Kyoko was about to approach Ren when a different woman appeared. She was dressed in a fancy dress and had a large hat that rested atop her brown hair.

"Oh, Ren! Thank you so much for saving Haru." She gushed as she reached out and touched the sheriff's arm.

Kyoko felt her stomach twist at the sight. It was relieved a moment later though when Ren stepped away.

"Perhaps you should keep a closer eye on your students from now on, Miss Ruriko. Either that or learn to climb trees." He replied with a polite smile before turning and walking away.

He had walked only a few feet before he spotted Kyoko watching from nearby. He waved her over. "So you came to see the excitement?" he asked as they began the walk back.

He didn't seem angry with her for following but she could see tension in his face. "Yes, I am sorry. I know I should've stayed behind but I wanted to see." She answered honestly.

Ren nodded, "I understand. Although, really it's not that exciting."

Kyoko gasped in shock. "What do you mean? I think your job is very exciting!"

Ren gave a hollow laugh. "There's nothing exciting about this sleepy town. I don't even think we've ever had any outlaws come through here."

Kyoko ignored the irony of the situation and continued talking. "Well, I think anybody who chooses to be a sheriff is amazing." She said looking up at him through her amber eyes.

Ren looked away and cleared his throat. He couldn't understand why he suddenly felt warm. "Why is it that you think so highly of sheriffs?" he asked finally.

Kyoko blushed, "When I was a little g- boy I decided to become a sheriff after being saved by one." She answered softly.

"So what changed your mind?"

Kyoko was startled at the sudden interest the sheriff had taken in her but felt compelled to answer. "My mother told me I couldn't do it."

"I think you can do anything you put your mind to." Ren replied simply.

She felt her face flush at his confidence in her. Flustered, she felt the need to escape. "If you'll excuse me sheriff, I promised to help out Hikaru this afternoon." She said without meeting his eyes. Then Kyoko hurried away towards the general store.

Ren chuckled as he watched her flee. _He's a very odd boy, isn't he?_


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thank you all who have read or reviewed! It is much appreciated. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 5: Keeping Cover

In the following days, Kyoko did her best to avoid Ren. She wouldn't admit to herself that it was because of the strange feelings she was starting to have for him, but instead chose to believe it was only to preserve her secret.

She alternated her days by working at either the post office with Jelly or the general store with Hikaru. A part of her was hurt that neither Ren nor Yukihito had come to ask her to return to work, but she forced that feeling away.

There was a thump as Hikaru set down a heavy crate on the floor nearby. "All right, Kyo. If you can just help me unload this last box I think we'll be done for the day." He announced.

Kyoko smiled at him. "Great!"

Hikaru opened the crate and they each reached in to remove an item. It just so happened that they reached for the same item. When their hands brushed, Hikaru jerked his hand away blushing. Kyoko on the other hand was unfazed by the touch and continued working, unaware of the confusion her friend was facing.

 _Stop being stupid._ Hikaru scolded himself as he carefully removed a different item. _You're the only one getting so worked up over touching._ He still wasn't sure why Kyo made him feel like this. Shy, and excited every time he saw him. _I can't be in love with him, I mean… he's a guy._

"Hikaru?"

Kyoko's voice made him jump, nearly dropping the glass bottle he was holding. "Sorry, yes?" he replied.

"I was just wondering where you wanted this." She held out a jar of candy.

"Oh, that's a new item I ordered. Let's put it on the counter by the register."

Kyoko nodded and placed the jar appropriately. Just as she turned back around though, the door flew open and two men entered. Ren and the Mayor.

"Mayor, Ren, what brings you in?" Hikaru asked curiously.

Kyoko immediately noticed that both men had serious expressions on their faces.

"Maria has gone missing. Lory says he hasn't seen her since before lunch." Ren answered. "We are forming a search party. I was hoping you could help."

Hikaru nodded, "Of course. I'll let my brothers know as well." He hurried out the door a moment later leaving Kyoko alone with the two other men.

"I guess I will just head back to the restaurant." She muttered heading for the door.

Ren grabbed her arm, stopping her. "I was hoping you would help as well. It's nearly sunset and we need all the manpower we can get."

Kyoko blushed, "I want to help, but I don't even know what she looks like." She admitted.

She watched as Ren held out a hand to Lory. The older man handed him a pocket watch. When Ren opened it, Kyoko saw a picture of a little girl with curly light hair and large eyes.

"This is Maria, she is eight years old. She likes to sneak off but she's never disappeared for this long." He explained.

Kyoko nodded, then her eyes met the Mayor's. His eyes were filled with concern for his young granddaughter. "I'll do whatever I can to help." She answered finally.

After an hour of searching, Kyoko found herself wandering through the deserted land on the outskirts of town. She had decided to go this way because it seemed the least likely place for a little girl to have gone. Not that she didn't want to find her, but she hoped someone else would find the girl.

 _It's hard to believe a little girl could make it this far from town on foot though._ She thought as she finally stopped walking. "I should probably head back. If anything, the sheriff probably already found her."

Kyoko took a step back towards town but paused. "What was that sound?" she muttered, looking around. That was when she heard it again, what sounded like a muffled cry.

"Hello! Maria?" she called out. _Maybe by some chance, Maria did wander all the way out here._

"Is someone there? Help!" came a muffled voice.

Kyoko headed in the direction of the voice and soon found what appeared to be a boarded up mine shaft. Except, there were several broken boards along the top. She kneeled down and peered inside. "Hello? Is anyone down there?" she called.

Then she saw movement not far below her. "Yes! I'm trapped down here." Came the reply.

"Are you Maria?"

The form of a little girl appeared directly below the opening. "Yes, who are you?" she asked.

"I'm Kyok- Kyo. I live in Haven and was asked by Ren and the Mayor to help look for you." Kyoko answered. "Are you hurt?"

"I don't know. My ankle hurts a bit." Maria replied. "Can you get me out?"

Kyoko glanced around thinking. "Well, I don't know if I can reach you. Maybe I could go get Ren." She looked at the sky and noticed that the sun had almost completely set. _I can't leave her out here alone in the dark. We might not be able to find her again, or worse coyotes might find her._

"If you can reach up, I may be able to pull you out." Kyoko finally told her. She only hoped she had enough strength to lift this little girl out of the mine.

Maria limped to the hole in the broken boards and reached upwards. Kyoko lowered her arms into the mine carefully. She found her hands were just barely able to reach Maria's. They grasped each other's hands and she began to pull the little girl up.

Just as she began to lift Maria off the ground, Kyoko heard the boards below her creak. _Oh no! It's going to collapse!_ Kyoko closed her eyes bracing for the fall as she felt the boards beneath her start to give. But just as they did, suddenly strong arms grasped her waist and lifted both her and Maria out of the mine, and away from danger.

The strong arms released her, and Kyoko looked up to see Ren. Nearby, Yukihito and the Mayor checked on Maria. Kyoko could feel her heart racing. _If Ren didn't show up just then we both could've been seriously injured._ She told herself.

"Thank you, Kyo. For finding my granddaughter."

Kyoko looked up into the smiling face of the Mayor. He held Maria tightly in his arms.

She nodded, but found herself unable to speak. In her silence, the Mayor turned to Ren. "I'll take Maria to see Dr. Sebastian."

Ren nodded, "Yes, I'll make sure Kyo gets back into town safely."

Kyoko watched as Maria, the Mayor, and Yukihito headed back towards town. When she heard a cough she looked up at Ren. She felt her face flush but hoped the evening sky was dark enough to hide it.

When Ren began to walk, she followed close behind. _Why does it feel like he's angry with me?_ She wondered as she stared at the older man's back.

"Why?"

Kyoko was startled by the sudden question. She jogged to catch up to Ren. "Why what?"

He stared at the ground as he walked. "Why didn't you come find us? We could've helped you get her out. You could've fallen in too."

Kyoko could hear his voice was strained as he spoke. _He must've been worried about Maria._ "You're right. I'm sorry. I just didn't want to leave her alone and risk not being able to find her again. I should've thought about the fact that if I couldn't lift her she could have gotten more injured."

Suddenly, Ren stopped and grabbed ahold of her upper arms. He looked at her seriously. "Don't you get it? You could've been hurt too. Do you really care about your own safety so little?"

When Kyoko kept quiet, he seemed to realize what he had done and stepped away. "Sorry." He mumbled.

Kyoko nodded as they resumed walking. "No, you are right. I didn't think about my own safety. I guess I should be more careful."

"Yeah, I mean, you have become an important part of our town." Ren answered softly. He looked over at her and in the soft moonlight, she could swear his eyes had sparkled.

The next day, Kyoko was working in the post office with Jelly while Maria sat on a nearby chair talking with them. She had apparently taken a liking to Kyoko after being saved.

"How long did the doctor say it'll take to heal?" Kyoko asked.

Maria puffed out her cheeks in a pout. "He said I need to try to stay off of it for the next week." She answered grumpily.

Kyoko smiled. "You are lucky it wasn't any worse. Did you get in trouble for running off?"

Maria nodded. "Grandpa said I can't have any sweets and can't go anywhere after school for the next two weeks."

Jelly and Kyoko shared an amused look. Just then they heard the bell on the main door jingle. It opened and in came the sheriff. He looked surprised to see Kyoko there.

"Good morning," he greeted them.

"Good morning, Ren," Jelly greeted him. "What brings you in today?"

"Well, Miss Woods," he started, and Kyoko noticed that Jelly shot him a glare. "I came to pick up my mail as well as see how Maria was doing." He moved across the room to where Maria was seated.

"How is your ankle?" he asked kindly.

Maria giggled at the sudden attention and Kyoko realized that the little girl probably had a crush on the sheriff. "It doesn't really hurt too bad. It's mostly just an inconvenience."

Ren nodded and patted Maria's head. "Well, I'll be hoping you heal quickly then." He turned back to the counter where Jelly had placed a large paper envelope.

"Thank you, Miss Woods," he said as he picked it up.

She scowled. "I told you to call me 'Jelly'."

He chuckled.

"What's in the package, Ren?" Maria asked, looking at it curiously.

"Most likely it's just updated wanted posters and reward lists. Also a list of posters I no longer need." He replied.

Kyoko stiffened at his words.

"Well, I'd better head back, Yukihito went to pick up lunch." He waved over his shoulder before heading out the door.

"Are you okay, Kyo?" Jelly asked, noticing that he had frozen in place.

Kyoko jumped and looked up. "Um, yes. I just realized I forgot something important I needed to tell the sheriff. Do you mind if I go after him?"

Jelly looked concerned but shook her head. "That's fine. Go catch up to him."

Kyoko called a hurried good bye to Jelly and Maria as she ran out the door. Once she had reached the dirt path outside, she began thinking quickly. _What am I going to do? What am I going to do?!_ She could feel herself panicking. _Most likely my face is on one of those posters. I need to make sure he doesn't see it._ She made it to the outside of the sheriff's station and sneaked around to a window.

From her hiding spot she could see Ren's back as he moved things on his desk. He placed the package on an empty spot and pulled a knife out of the drawer. As he cut open the paper, Kyoko began to consider escaping.

 _If I leave right now, I could be far from here before anyone figures it out._ But just as she went to take a step back, the door to the office flew open and the deputy ran in.

"Yukihito? What's wrong?" Ren asked, his package quickly forgotten.

Yukihito bent over as he tried to catch his breath. "Mrs. Makeno sent word that one of her horses was stolen. She thinks it must've just happened because her husband checked them this morning and they were all there."

Ren nodded and grabbed his black hat from its nearby hook. "Saddle our horses and we'll go."

Kyoko watched as they both left on horseback. She immediately went to the office door. She turned the handle hopefully but was disappointed when it didn't budge. "Now I'll have to pick the lock." She sighed as she dug in her pockets for something useful. She found a pin she had been using earlier and shimmied it into the lock. But as she moved it around she heard a small crack.

 _What am I gonna do now?_ She wondered anxiously. "Okay, be calm. You have a sewing kit in your room. Maybe that'll work."

Meanwhile, Ren and Yukihito had began the journey back into town.

"I can't believe Mrs. Makeno forgot that her husband was going on a trip and would be taking one of their horses." Yukihito groaned.

Ren chuckled at his deputy's whining. "Well, at least we got things figured out fast. Why don't you head back over and pick up our lunch. I have to finish going through some mail at the station."

The deputy nodded and turned his horse toward the town restaurant. Ren continued towards the station. He arrived out front and reached into his pocket for his keys but he paused when he noticed the door was already ajar. Immediately on edge, he drew his gun. Then he slowly pushed the door open. It creaked and the person standing over his desk looked up.

"Oh, Kyo," Ren sighed in relief. He returned his weapon to its holster. "What are you doing in here? You startled me."

Kyoko stared at Ren in shock. She was frozen, unsure what to do or say.

"Actually," Ren said taking a step forward. "I thought I had locked the door." It was then that Ren noticed the papers in Kyoko's hands. He moved across the room in one swift movement and took the papers from her. Gripping one of her wrists tightly in one hand, he stared down into her eyes. "Why were you going through my papers? Did you break in here to steal something?"

Kyoko's heart was pounding and her head was spinning. There was an ache in her wrist where he was holding it and a sharp pain in her chest as she realized this was it. _Everything is over._

When she didn't respond, Ren looked down at the papers she had been holding. They were wanted posters from his new package that he hadn't looked through yet. But there was no mistaking the face that stared up at him from it. The only difference was that the person on the paper…. Was a woman.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Here's the latest chapter! This one was a lot of fun to write. I hope you all enjoy!**

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Chapter 6: Truths and Histories

Ren's head was spinning. _Kyoko Mogami, wanted for the theft of the Princess Rosa Diamond, Reward: $5,000._ He turned and looked down at the young woman who's wrist he was still gripping. _She hardly looks like a thief. But then again, that would be the best cover._

"Why did you come here?" he asked in a harsh tone. "Was it just to gain the trust of our townspeople so you could steal from them too?"

Kyoko whimpered, she wanted to respond but didn't know what to say. Right now the only thing on her mind was the fact that she had been caught.

"Did you save the mayor's granddaughter so that we would trust you? To make me trust you?" he questioned in disbelief. Ren couldn't explain this ache in his chest. It hurt to think that this person he had started to consider a friend could betray him.

Kyoko felt the warm tears trickle down her cheeks and reached up to wipe them away. "I'm sorry!" she cried out. "Please don't turn me in. I'm innocent." The last two words had come out in a strangled whisper as she tried to keep from sobbing.

Ren wasn't sure what it was about her, but he desperately wanted to believe her words. He opened his mouth, intent on asking for an explanation, when the door to the station opened.

He quickly released his grasp on Kyoko's wrist at the sudden appearance of his deputy.

"Sorry it took so long. I wound up getting there during the rush." Yukihito explained. He looked up and was surprised to see Kyoko there as well. "Kyo, what a surprise."

Before Yukihito could say anything more, Ren grabbed his stack of wanted papers in one hand and Kyoko's hand in the other. "I was just going to teach Kyo how to hang up wanted posters in town. We'll be back later!" he announced, pushing Kyoko out the door.

"Oh, okay. Well, at least take your lunch." The deputy called after him.

Ren grabbed the paper bag with a quick thanks, then followed Kyoko outside.

"Where are we going?" she cried out.

"Somewhere we can talk privately." He replied in a hushed voice. He led her to his horse and placed the papers and bag inside of the satchel on the saddle. "Climb on."

Kyoko obeyed nervously and soon both of them were seated atop his horse. She felt her heart racing as the sheriff instructed her to hold onto his waist. "It's not far. We'll be there shortly."

They rode in silence until they came upon a rather large wood home. Ren stopped out front of it and climbed down before offering a hand to her.

"Is this your house?" Kyoko asked in awe.

Ren nodded. "It is. Now, let's go inside." He took his belongings from the saddle and nodded for her to go first. As much as he wanted to trust her, he couldn't be sure just yet.

Kyoko stepped inside of the large house and followed Ren's directions until they were in the kitchen. "Sit down there." He ordered pointing to a nearby chair.

Kyoko nodded and sat down. Her legs felt unsteady and her head was still spinning as she wondered what would happen now.

The sheriff pulled out a pair of handcuffs and handcuffed her right hand to the chair. "This is a precaution until I decide whether or not I can trust you." He explained. "Now then, you said you were innocent. Tell me everything."

Kyoko forced back her tears and began to speak. "A few months ago, I was living with my childhood friend. He went out one day and when he came home he had committed a robbery. He ran and left me to take the blame for everything. I," her voice was shaking now as she was filled with renewed heartbreak at the thought of the situation. "I thought he loved me." She said finally, staring at the ground.

"And why are you here?"

Her head shot up at the question. "I decided my only chance was to run and try to find a way to prove my innocence. In all this time, I haven't been able to find him again."

"And what do you plan to do if you do find him?" he asked, skeptically.

"Well, I…" she shook her head, "I guess I would have to find a way to get him to admit he was the thief." she knew it sounded unimpressive. "Look, I know you have no reason to trust me. But if I was the criminal wouldn't be have just run? I thought if you didn't find out, then maybe I could continue living here until I figured out what to do next. So please, just give me a chance."

Ren stood up and began to pace the kitchen, floorboards creaking under his boots. _I could believe her. She really doesn't look like a criminal. And she's right that a guilty person would run. Although, that may just mean she's not too smart._ He bit the inside of his cheek as he struggled with what to do.

As he paced, Kyoko dug for her necklace. She gripped the blue stone tightly in her free hand. _Please, Corn. Help me. Just help the sheriff to decide to trust me._ She had barely finished her prayer, when she felt the stone slip out of her fingers. But instead of it remaining fastened on its chain, it fell and bounced across the floor.

She cried out, reaching to catch it but unable to due to her restraint. At the sound of it hitting the floor, Ren looked down. He kneeled and picked up the familiar blue gem. From his position on the ground, his eyes traveled to the crying girl before him.

Immediately, the image of a little girl from his past popped into his mind. She had had darker hair, but now that he thought about it, the girl on the wanted poster had had dark hair as well. He held up the gem, "Where did you get this?" he asked.

Kyoko grabbed it from his hand. "I didn't steal it if that's what you're thinking." She retorted. "It was a gift."

Ren returned to his feet. "Oh, a gift from your boyfriend." He muttered.

Kyoko shook her head emphatically. "No! This was a gift from someone even more special than my friend. This was a gift from someone who saved my life when I was a little girl."

 _So it is her._

"It was a gift from my guardian angel."

A snort came from the sheriff as he turned away trying not to laugh. There was no mistaking her now, the wanted criminal before him was definitely the same girl from his childhood. _She thought I was a guardian angel?_ He struggled not to let his laughter escape him.

Kyoko huffed angrily from her chair. "Go ahead and laugh! But Corn saved my life!"

He swallowed his laughter and turned back to her. _So this is what became of that little girl._ He stepped close to her and leaned down until his face was only a few inches from her own. Kyoko could feel her heart beating faster.

"I will trust you for now."

"Huh?" Kyoko asked. She heard a jingle sound and looked down to see he had unlocked the handcuffs.

"I have decided to trust you. You can stay in Haven while you search for a way to prove your innocence. However, should anything change, you need to come straight to me. If you ever leave town without my permission, I will jump straight on my horse and track you down before you can find anywhere to hide. Then I will bring you straight to the judge himself for sentencing." He told her. Then he picked up the top pages off the stack of wanted posters.

"I will keep these here for the time being. I wouldn't want Yukihito to find them and figure out your secret." He explained as he placed the papers into a kitchen drawer.

Kyoko stood to her feet and bowed to the sheriff. "Thank you! I won't betray your trust. I promise."

Ren patted her head. "Now then, I told Yukihito I was teaching you how to put up wanted posters."

"Oh! Right." She exclaimed, suddenly full of energy again. She picked up the remaining stack of posters. "Where did you want me to hang them?"

After riding back to town, Ren watched as Kyoko hung the posters according to his instruction. Occasionally, having to help her ensure it had been secured to the wall or tree. After she had finished hanging up the posters, Kyoko came to where Ren was waiting for her by a tree. She had just opened her mouth to ask what she was needed for next when there was a loud rumbling sound.

Ren looked around at the sky. "I didn't think there would be a storm today." He muttered.

Kyoko could feel her face light up bright red. "Th- that wasn't thunder…." She whispered.

"Was that your stomach?" the sheriff asked in disbelief.

"I just didn't get to eat lunch." Kyoko replied defensively.

Ren let out a laugh, but when Kyoko glared at him he stopped. "Sorry. I guess it's partly my fault you didn't eat lunch. Oh!" he moved over to where he had his horse tied nearby and pulled out the lunch sack. "You can have this if you want." He offered.

Kyoko shook her head. "I can't take your lunch. You should eat it."

He opened the bag and pulled out half of a wrapped sandwich. "Fine. We'll eat it together."

She took the offered sandwich and followed Ren's lead when he sat down on the grass under a nearby tree.

He watched as she carefully unwrapped the sandwich and took a first bite. As he observed her, his mind drifted back to the past and his first meeting of Kyoko ten years ago.

* * *

 _Eleven year old, Kuon Hizuri followed his dad through a busy main street in the town they were travelling through. He always felt proud to accompany his dad, who was one of the greatest Sheriffs in the West. This time his dad was delivering an important paper to the judge of this town. That was all he had been told._

 _After it had been delivered, they proceeded back through town to find a restaurant to eat lunch in. "At least today we won't have to eat your mother's cooking." Kuu had joked._

 _But just as they had both been laughing about it, the sound of a gunshot had broken through the noise. Immediately a change came over Kuu and he was no longer a father with his child, he was now a sheriff with a job to protect people. He quickly pulled Kuon into a small alleyway._

" _Wait here. I am going to go help." Kuu told him as he pulled his gun out of its holster._

 _Watching his father run towards the sound of danger irritated Kuon a bit. "If dad would just give me a gun I could help him." He mumbled as he kicked an empty bottle._

 _He stopped. He had heard what sounded like crying. He took a few steps out into the street and peeked to see if he could spot the person who was crying. Then he saw her, hiding under the stairs of a nearby building. Kuon moved quickly through the crowd of people scrambling to get away from the danger._

 _Another gunshot sounded and Kuon saw the girl cover her ears. He grabbed her hand. "Come with me!" he told her._

 _She followed behind him as he led her back into the alley his father had left him in. "Sit back here." He pointed to a spot that was hidden by boxes. The girl obeyed but he could see she was shaking and there were tears in her eyes._

" _Look, what's your name?"_

 _She looked up at him through tear-filled amber eyes. "I-it's Kyoko."_

" _Where's your mom?" he asked._

 _She stared down at the dirt. "I don't know. She doesn't live with me. I live with Shotaro."_

" _Well, why are you alone?" he was really irritated that someone would leave a little girl by herself during what sounded like some kind of robbery._

" _I tripped and I- I got left behind." She replied. Apparently that was all she could handle before her crying began again._

 _Nearby, Kuon could hear shouting and the sound of running. He squeezed in next to Kyoko and covered her mouth. "Quiet." He hissed._

" _I'm scared…"_

 _Kuon dug in his pocket. He pulled out a small blue-purple stone. He quickly pressed it into her hand. "Here, this'll protect you. Just hold it and close your eyes."_

 _He felt relieved when she obeyed and sat beside her until the noise around them calmed. "Wait here." Kuon whispered as he stood up. "I am going to make sure it's safe now."_

 _He peered out of the alley and saw his dad, along with a few other men, handcuffing several outlaws. When he went back to Kyoko he saw her gazing intently at the stone. He crouched down before her._

" _You can keep that." He told her. "And I think it's safe now."_

 _Kyoko looked up at him with wide eyes. "What's your name?" she asked._

 _He laughed, "It's Kuon."_

 _Suddenly, she threw her arms around him in a hug. "Thank you, Corn!" she said softly before hurrying out of the alley._

* * *

"Sheriff?"

Ren was startled out of his daydreams by the present Kyoko's voice. "Sorry. What?"

"I was just saying you should make sure you finish eating. We probably need to head back soon." Kyoko said with a smile.

Ren quickly finished the rest of his sandwich and got up. "Oh, that's right. Didn't you say before that you used to want to be a sheriff, but your mother said you couldn't. It makes sense now that I know you're a girl."

Kyoko shook her head. "No, that isn't why she said I couldn't." She told him.

Ren raised an eyebrow. "It's not? But then why?"

Kyoko gave a sad smile as she kicked at a rock on the ground. "Well, my mother said I could never do it because of who my father was."

"Your father?"

"Kazushi Misonoi. He was a notorious outlaw."

Ren stared at Kyoko for a long moment. He remembered when his father had left for several months to go with others on a manhunt for Kazushi, though at the time he hadn't cared. "Wow." He muttered.

Kyoko laughed. "Don't worry. It doesn't really bother me anymore. Although," she scratched her head, "It is a bit concerning that now I find myself as a wanted outlaw as well. I always swore I would never be like him."

"Once you are able to clear your name, maybe you could go back to your dream. If not as a sheriff, you could always work for one." Ren said gently. He wasn't sure why he felt the need to comfort her. Maybe because of the fact that she was from his past.

Kyoko laughed again. "Who knows? But right now, all I want is to clear my name and get Shotaro locked up."

Ren jerked his head. "Shotaro?"

She nodded, "That's his name. My childhood friend who betrayed me."

 _Could it be that it's the same boy she mentioned when we met before?_ Ren wondered as they walked back into town. "Well, hopefully you can get things figured out soon."

Kyoko smiled, and Ren could feel his heart melting. "Yes. It will be wonderful not to have that worry anymore."

"Does anyone else know about all this? That you're a girl." Ren asked.

Kyoko nodded. "Yes. Only Miss Kanae."

"Well, let's do our best to keep it that way. The less people who know, the better."

* * *

A few hours later, Ren watched as Kyoko said good bye to Yukihito before heading from the sheriff's station back to the restaurant.

"That kid sure has been a lot of help around here, right Ren?" The deputy commented once Kyoko had left. He stepped over to where Ren stood by the door when there was no reply.

He followed Ren's line of sight and saw that he was watching as Kyo hurried through town. "Y'know, Ren," Yukihito said loudly. "You're kind of watching after Kyo like a lovesick schoolboy." He teased.

Ren controlled the blush threatening to rise in his cheeks. "I was just making sure he didn't cause any trouble on his way back." He muttered. He turned back and sat at his desk though his thoughts were far away.

How had something like this happened to that sweet little girl from his past? And why was it that he felt his heart thump loudly whenever he looked into her eyes? Ren shook his head to clear his thoughts, then returned to his paperwork.

 _She's only been here about two weeks, and already she's turned my life upside-down._


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter! I hope you all enjoy it!**

* * *

Chapter 7: A Dangerous Rival

When Kyoko returned to the restaurant to prepare dinner, she did so cheerfully. She nearly danced through the kitchen as she cooked. Luckily, the only person who could see her was Kanae. The dark haired girl gave a slight smile as she watched her employee.

 _I wonder what's up with her._ She thought to herself before taking the next order to its appropriate table.

When dinner service was finished, Kanae stepped into the kitchen. She watched Kyoko wash dishes for a few minutes before speaking. "What has you in such a good mood this evening?" Kanae asked.

Kyoko blushed, "I- I'm not sure what you're talking about, Miss Kanae. I think I'm just acting the same as always." She replied with a shrug.

"Dancing around my kitchen is a bit more than normal." Kanae interjected.

Kyoko glanced around as if making sure they were alone. Then she stepped closer to Kanae. "The sheriff found out the truth about me." She whispered.

Kanae's eyes widened. "But if he found out… shouldn't you be locked up and on your way back to the judge?"

Kyoko shook her head, a smile appearing on her face. "He believes me. He said he'll trust me for now."

A look crossed Kanae's face, but Kyoko missed it. _It's strange for Ren to trust somebody so completely. Maybe…_

"I was wondering, do you think that I could leave early tomorrow night? I wanted to make him dinner to thank him." Kyoko blushed as she spoke and Kanae's suspicions were confirmed.

She tried her best to look annoyed. "I guess that'll be fine. But that means you'll have to come earlier to start cooking."

Kyoko smiled, "Thank you so much!"

"Yeah, don't mention it." Kanae muttered. She turned to leave the kitchen. "I'll see you in the morning then."

"Good night!" Kyoko called after her. She turned back to the few remaining pans she needed to wash, feeling excited at the prospect of cooking a thank you meal for Ren.

* * *

The following morning, after breakfast , Kyoko dressed into her day clothes. She re-buttoned her shirt four times before getting it right and finally heading out of the hotel. She hurried to the Sheriff's station and gave a light knock on the door before pushing it open.

"Good morning, Sheriff, Deputy," she called in. She stepped inside and saw both of the men hard at work.

"Kyo! Good morning. Are you here to help?" Yukihito asked, hopefully.

Kyoko spotted the stack of papers on his desk and gave him a sympathetic smile. "Sorry, I actually promised Hikaru that I'd help out at the store today."

Ren raised an eyebrow, curiously. "Then what brings you by, Kyo?" he asked.

"Um, well…" she paused trying to find the words. "Sheriff, I wanted to offer to cook you dinner tonight as a thanks for your help yesterday. As well as for everything you've done for me."

Yukihito chuckled at the surprised look on his friend's face. "That's very nice, Kyo." He told her with a smile.

Kyoko watched Ren uncertainly. He seemed to have an amused look on his face but she wasn't sure what he was actually thinking.

Finally, he spoke. "Kyo, you do realize you cook for me every night. The only place I eat is at the restaurant."

She could feel a blush creeping up her face. "I- I realize that. I just thought if I was cooking for just you I could make you something different. Please, will you let me?" she bowed after blurting out her request.

In her mind, Kyoko told herself she was desperate to do this because she felt the need to repay his kindness, but she couldn't ignore that if he refused, she'd feel as if he was rejecting her completely.

"That sounds good then. What time should we head out tonight?"

Her head whipped up and her eyes met his green ones. "Really? Uh, I mean, does six o'clock work?"

Ren nodded. "Meet me here at six then and we can ride out there together."

"Yes! I'll see you then." She called out before running out the door. She could feel the excitement building within her. _Now, I'll get to prove how grateful I am._ She thought as she hurried to the general store.

* * *

That afternoon, Ren escaped from his office by offering to make the lunch run for him and his deputy. _I don't know why Yukihito keeps acting like my dinner with Kyoko is such a big deal._ He thought irritably. As he made it to the hotel/restaurant, he spotted Miss Ruriko, the school-teacher.

The brown-haired young woman rushed over to Ren the moment she spotted him and Ren had to force himself to smile. "Good afternoon, Miss Ruriko." He greeted her politely.

She smiled broadly at him, fluttering her eyelashes flirtatiously. "Good afternoon, Sheriff. I'm glad I ran into you. I wanted to ask you something."

Ren could feel his stomach drop. Ruriko had been after him since the moment she came into town last fall. Now several months later, Ren had nearly run out of excuses not to spend time with the desperate teacher. "How can I help you, Miss?"

She giggled and tried to look shy. "I was hoping you might be interested in joining me for dinner tonight."

Inside, the sheriff sighed in relief. _Thank you, Kyoko._ Outside, he forced a frown. "I'm afraid I already have plans for tonight's dinner. Kyo, offered to come over and cook for me."

A sour expression crossed Ruriko face before she could remember to smile sweetly. "Well, I wouldn't expect the sheriff to break a promise. I guess I'll just have to hope you'll be free the next time I ask." She sighed dramatically. "I guess I'd better be heading to the store. Hikaru said he received the new parasol I ordered. I have very delicate skin you know."

Ren nodded unsure if he was supposed to respond. He waved when Ruriko did and waited a moment until she had disappeared down the street. Once she was gone, Ren let out an audible sigh of relief. "I am certainly glad I let her talk me into cooking for me." He muttered before heading into the restaurant to retrieve lunch.

Once Ruriko was out of the sheriff's range of hearing, she let out a string of cuss words that would've made anyone blush. _Damn that visitor. Ever since he showed up he's been making things difficult for me. First, stealing all the attention in town and now befriending my dear sweet Ren. Who does he think he is?_

She let the door slam behind her once she had entered the general store. She looked up expecting to be greeted by Hikaru, but instead found herself facing the very visitor she had just been thinking about.

"Good afternoon, Miss," Kyoko greeted her. "I don't think we've formally met. I'm Kyo. You're the school teacher, right?"

Kyoko thought she saw the tiniest glimpse of a scowl but it was immediately replaced with a charming smile.

Ruriko approached the counter. "Ah, yes. You're our towns newest visitor, aren't you?" she asked sweetly.

Kyoko nodded, "Can I help you with anything today?"

"Where's Hikaru?" Ruriko inquired innocently as she fiddled with the trinkets lining the counter.

"He had to run an errand, but he left me in charge so if you needed to purchase anything I can assist you." Kyoko explained.

A wicked thought filled Ruriko's mind. "Actually," she began softly. "I ordered a parasol a couple of weeks ago and Hikaru had said it should be in."

Kyoko's eyes lit up. "Oh, yes! I remember unpacking it. Let me get it for you." She hurried to the back to retrieve it. Then returned a moment later and presented it to her customer.

Ruriko looked over the light blue parasol carefully. It was decorated with a delicate lace along the edges and it was perfectly suited to a young woman like herself. "Perfect! Thank you so much." She exclaimed lifting it from the counter.

"Let me just ring up your bill." Kyoko muttered, searching for the order log.

"Don't worry about it. I actually paid for it back before he ordered it." Ruriko lied.

Kyoko looked uncertain. "If you can wait just a few minutes, I'm sure Hikaru will be back. I'm not sure where he keeps the notes for the orders."

Ruriko's face saddened and her eyes became moist. "I'm afraid I am in a hurry. And I do need it terribly. You see, I can't be in the sun for very long before I begin to feel ill. My hats are a help, but nothing can prevent the sun like a special parasol. You can trust me, can't you?" she fluttered her eyelashes as she placed a gloved hand atop Kyoko's own.

Kyoko was unsure. _She really does look like one of those rich young ladies. So beautiful and delicate. I guess she has a point…_ Finally she nodded. "It should be fine then."

The older girl smiled triumphantly. "Thank you so much, Kyo!" she exclaimed before quickly leaving the shop. She laughed to herself as she stepped around the side of the building.

"Now just to wait for Hikaru to get back. Of course, he'll fire him. You can't forgive a stupid mistake like that." She was grateful when she only had to wait a few minutes for the shop owner to return. She listened outside of a nearby window, hopeful to hear the resulting scolding Kyo was sure to receive.

* * *

Hikaru reentered his shop and carried in the empty box which had previously help orders from his brothers.

"How did your deliveries go?" Kyoko asked.

Hikaru rubbed the back of his head after setting down the box. "It went fine. Sorry, I took so long. Shinichi wasn't there so I had to wait for him. Anything exciting happen while I was gone?"

Kyoko shook her head as she wiped down the counter. "Not really. Oh, but Miss Ruriko came in to pick up her parasol."

"That's great. Were you able to find the order log to check how much she owed?" he asked.

Kyoko felt her stomach drop. "How much she owed?" she asked in a worried voice. She sighed and hung her head. "I apologize. I thought her order had been paid in full and because I didn't know where the order log was I couldn't check. Please allow me to work to pay off my mistake."

Hikaru reached out and ruffled her hair with a slight laugh. "Please, calm down, Kyo. It's not such a big deal. It's a mistake anyone could make and I am sure once I explain what happened, Miss Ruriko will make the proper payments."

Kyoko let out a relieved sigh and Hikaru felt his heart pound at the sight of her relief.

 _Why does he have to be so pretty?_ He wondered as he watched her go back to her chores. He struggled to force himself to focus back on his work, instead of on the person he found himself liking more every day they spent together.

* * *

Outside of the general store, Ruriko had begun a very irritated walk home. _He was supposed to fire him! Not comfort him. If he were a woman, then I could understand all the special attention he gets… but Kyo is a boy. So why are all of the men giving him special treatment?_

In her anger, she swung her parasol and smacked it into the trunk of a nearby tree causing it to make a resounding CRACK!

Onlookers weren't sure what had happened to upset the school teacher to the point of damaging her own property but they all knew better than to try and get close enough to find out.

* * *

Back at the sheriff's station, Ren fidgeted in his seat. Every few moments, he would pull out his pocket watch and check the time again.

"Ren, you know time won't move faster just because you keep checking it, right?" Yukihito teased from across the room. "But I have to admit, it is pretty lonely here without Kyo."

Ren rolled his eyes. "I'm actually checking the time because I'm anxious to be away from you." He muttered.

His deputy feigned heartbreak at the sheriff's harsh words. "Fine. I'll stop teasing you."

A few minutes later, there was a light knock on the door before it was pushed open. Kyoko entered carrying with her a cloth bag of some ingredients she had either gotten from the restaurant or bought from Hikaru.

Both Ren and Yashiro looked up at her entrance. She blushed involuntarily. "Sorry, if I'm a little early. I can wait if you still have some things to finish up." She offered.

Seeing the innocent and kind look on her face, Ren couldn't believe he had ever thought that she was a boy. She may not have had the curves of some of the other women in town but there was a certain feminine air about her.

"Ren?" Yukihito called his name, startling him out of his thoughts. "I said I can finish up here if you want to go."

Ren glanced down at the few papers he had left. Then he nodded. "All right. Thank you, Yukihito." He stood and placed his black cowboy hat on his head. Then he turned to Kyoko. "Let's go then."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I apologize for the delay on this story. I was really struggling to get into the right zone to write it. But I'm trying to get it written so I can update weekly again. Enjoy this chapter! AAnd you can expect a other chapter next Saturday!**

* * *

Chapter 8: Dinner with the Sheriff

When they arrived at the Sheriff's home, Kyoko followed Ren inside and back into the same kitchen he had questioned her in just the day before. She immediately went to work laying out the ingredients for the stew she had planned to make.

"Do you have a knife and a large pot?" she asked, not turning to look his direction.

"I'm not sure." Ren replied, a bit of surprise in his voice.

Kyoko looked at him eyes wide.

"I've never tried to cook anything here. The house came furnished when I arrived in town, so you can feel free to look through the cabinets for anything you need." He told her, trying to explain away the strangeness of not knowing what things he owned.

Kyoko nodded. "All right then. I'll take a look through the cabinets then."

"I'm going to get some wood for the stove. It's been getting cold lately." He said and without waiting for a response he headed out the back door.

Kyoko began by searching through the lower cabinets and drawers. She succeeded in finding the knife she needed but had yet to find a pot. She took out two bowls and two spoons from one of the cabinets. Her next step was to drag over a chair to stand on while she searched the top cabinets. When she opened the first one she spotted a large silver pot on the highest shelf.

"Why would anyone stock it up there?" she muttered as she stood on tiptoes to reach it. She had just gripped the handle of the pot and begun to pull it from the shelf when she realized too late the weight of it.

The sudden weight threw her off her balance and she cried out as she felt herself tumble from the chair. There was a loud crash as the pot hit the floor and Kyoko cringed anticipating the pain she would feel at any moment. When it didn't come, she opened her eyes, and looked down at the person who was laying under her.

Ren had stepped inside of the house with an arm full of firewood just in time to see Kyoko pull the pot from its shelf. He had thrown himself forward and had managed to stop her from slamming into the ground by throwing himself under her.

Kyoko jumped up seeing the strained expression on his face. "My goodness, Sheriff!" she exclaimed. "Are you okay?"

Ren sat up and struggled to hold back a laugh, "Shouldn't I be asking you that? You are the one who just fell off of a chair."

Kyoko blushed, "Well, yes, but… but you saved me. And I landed on top of you."

Ren got to his feet and pulled Kyoko up with him. "Aside from having the wind knocked out of me, I'm fine. You are very light really." He took a step and lifted the pot from the floor. "This was what you needed?"

She nodded, shyly. "Yes. Thank you." She accepted the pot from him and placed it on the stove before beginning to chop up her ingredients.

Ren gather the firewood that he had dropped on the floor and placed some of it inside of the stove, before lighting it. He then sat at the dining table and watched as Kyoko prepared the stew. _It feels strange having a woman here. I don't think I've ever actually had a woman here aside from her. Especially not one who would cook for me._ He found himself smiling unconsciously as he watched her.

Once all the ingredients were simmering in the large pot, Kyoko sat down next to the sheriff at the table. "It'll be about twenty minutes or so." She told him.

Ren nodded. "We could talk until it's ready then."

Kyoko looked uncertain. Of course she wanted to talk to the sheriff. She wanted to ask him about all the things she'd wondered about when it came to being a sheriff, but now she felt shy. Suddenly, she was very aware of the fact that it was just the two of them in the house. Even if she was wearing pants. She removed her hat and set it down on the chair next to her to try and alleviate some of the heat she was now feeling.

Just then, a hand reached out and tousled her hair. She stiffened and felt her face blush.

"You're going to need to dye your hair again. The top is starting to look black again." After Ren had spoken, his eyes traveled down to the girl's red face and he instinctively went to pull his hand back but something made him stop. There was something so striking about her reaction that it made him want to see more. Instead of removing his hand, he stroked her hair gently.

Kyoko sat frozen for a moment before jumping up. "I need to stir the stew." She blurted out as she rushed away from the sheriff.

Ren tried not to laugh at her reaction. There was a small part of himself that scolded him for teasing her but he ignored it. "Do you have more hair dye?" he asked.

Kyoko glanced at him and then regretted it. He was watching her and it made her feel more self-conscious. She tugged at a strand of the light colored hair. "Yes, I do. The people I was with before, the wife, she gave me extra in case I wouldn't have money to buy more."

Ren nodded, "That's good. You should probably dye it soon then."

She gave a nod in response, before finally deeming it safe to return to her seat. "Can I ask you a question?"

"I don't see why not." He replied.

"What made you want to be a sheriff?"

Kyoko's question caught Ren off guard. "What made me want to…" his voice trailed off as he thought about her question. It was a question no one had asked him before. He debated on how to answer before deciding that the truth wouldn't hurt.

"I became a sheriff, because my father was one." He told her in a quiet voice.

"He was?" she squeaked.

Ren nodded. "I admired my father a lot and when the opportunity came to become a sheriff, I took it."

"That's really amazing." Kyoko said softly. Sure, it wasn't some exciting reason like that he had saved someone's life or stopped a robbery, but the fact that he had done it because his father had been one, made Kyoko sure that Ren's father must have been a very special person.

As they ate, they talked about the people in their town and the stories of outlaws that Ren had heard. When they finished eating, Kyoko watched Ren expectedly.

"What?" he asked obliviously.

Kyoko blushed, "I was just wondering if you enjoyed the dinner." She muttered. She rose from her chair and took both bowls to the sink.

Ren smiled as he watched her. "I enjoyed it very much, thank you." He said, as he thought for the second time that night, how nice it was to have her there.

As she washed the dishes, Ren offered to help dry. They were silent for a few moments before Ren spoke. "Somethings been on my mind that I wanted to speak with you about."

"And what's that?" she asked without looking up.

"What do you plan to do when you find him? The man who betrayed you." This was a thought that had been bothering him.

Kyoko looked up at the sheriff and he saw a determined look in her eyes. "I'll force him to come to the sheriff's station and confess to the crime."

"And what if he has a gun?" he asked seriously. As much as he admired her spirit, he didn't want her going into dangerous situations without thinking.

"Well, I guess I would need a gun too then." She muttered, staring down into the sink.

A thought struck Ren. "Do you know how to shoot?" he asked.

Kyoko shook her head. "I've never had a reason to learn before."

"How would you like it if I taught you how to shoot?" he offered as he finished drying the large pot.

Kyoko's eyes lit up. "Would you really?" she exclaimed.

A chuckle escaped Ren's mouth at her excitement. "Yes. I'd be happy to teach you. We could go out for your lesson on Saturday. Although, I think I would have to receive some sort of payment…" he paused before grinning at her. "Maybe in the form of lunch?"

She beamed at him. "I think I can manage that, Sheriff!"

They stared at each other for several moments, and once again Ren felt a strong urge to touch her. There was something special about her and he had already become very attached to her.

"It's getting late." Kyoko's sudden words interrupted his thoughts.

Ren glanced out the window into the darkening evening. "You're right. I'll give you a ride back into town."

She shook her head, "Oh, no! I couldn't ask you to go through all that trouble for me. I'm sure I'll be just fine walking back." Kyoko took a step towards the door but Ren reached out and grabbed hold of the back of her collar.

"Ack!" she spun around and found that he was closer than she had expected.

He leaned closer and looked at her seriously. "It's dangerous for a woman to walk by herself at night. There are lots of dangerous things out there." He took a step away and grabbed his hat off of a hook on the wall. "I'll give you a ride back into town. C'mon."

As he exited through the back door Kyoko stared after him. She placed a hand on her heart which was beating loudly.

 _Why does he have to do things like that?_ Kyoko sighed aloud.

"Are you coming?" Ren called from outside.

Kyoko hurried out the door, "Yes! Sorry."

He helped her onto his horse before climbing on in front of her. "Hold on," he warned before he pulled on his horse's reigns and they began the ride back to town.

After their interactions at his house, Kyoko felt more than a little embarrassed to be holding onto him. But she knew it would be more embarrassing to fall off the horse, so she wrapped her arms part way around his waist and gripped the sides of his shirt in her fists.

They were silent as they rode, and Ren found himself enjoying the quiet nighttime ride.

"Sheriff?" Came the quiet voice from behind him.

"Hmm?" he asked.

"Umm," Kyoko took a breath and he could feel her grip on his shirt tighten. "Thank you again. For keeping my secret. I really like it here and I didn't want to have to leave."

 _I really like you,_ she thought silently.

Ren smiled to himself as he took in her words. He moved one hand off the reigns and gently touched one of her hands. "Well, the town wouldn't be the same if you left." He told her. _I wouldn't be the same._

The next couple of days passed slowly for Ren. Kyoko had been spending her days between the store, the post office, and the restaurant and had yet to spend another day at the sheriff's station. Ren found himself missing her and was eagerly awaiting Saturday's arrival. So Friday morning was a good one for him as he sat with his deputy enjoying breakfast.

At least, it was good until the school teacher, Miss Ruriko decided to come pay him a visit. She approached the table, wearing what he was sure was meant to be a very fashionable green dress, but the color reminded him of someone feeling sick.

"Good morning, Ren!" Ruriko greeted him, ignoring his companion.

"Good morning, Miss Ruriko," he replied politely.

She fluttered her eyelashes as she spoke, "I wanted to invite you, if you don't have other plans, to go with me into Rossville tomorrow. I needed to buy some things and thought the trip would be more fun together."

Ren responded immediately. "Sorry, I have plans to spend the day with Kyo tomorrow."

She looked shocked. "Doing what?" she asked, not caring if she was being rude.

"I promised to teach him how to shoot." He answered matter-of-factly. As if this should have been obvious to her.

After a minute of silence, Ruriko recovered some of her ladylike charm. "Well then, perhaps next time." She said before all but storming out of the restaurant.

Yukihito snorted beside Ren. "Well, she didn't like that, did she?"

Ren downed the last of his coffee. "It doesn't really matter. I already had plans with Kyo for tomorrow, so there wasn't anything I could do." He rose from the table and headed out of the restaurant quickly. He was once again grateful that his plans with Kyoko were continuing to help him get out of spending time with a certain schoolteacher.

* * *

Ruriko entered her classroom in a most irritable state. She rang the school bell and when the children came into the room, she let out a shout that frightened them.

"You children are too loud. Stop talking and pull out your workbooks." She ordered harshly.

Maria raised her hand from her seat. "Miss, what page should we turn to?" she asked.

Ruriko sighed. "Are you really that stupid that I have to tell you? Just open to where ever we left off before." The teacher threw herself into her chair and proceeded to ignore her students as she thought about her favorite sheriff.

 _Why is he spending so much time with that visitor? He's practically still a stranger and yet everyone just trusts him. What is so special about this Kyo?_

An idea struck her just then. One she considered to be quite brilliant. So brilliant, in fact, that she was very nearly nice to her students the rest of the day.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: A Surprising Invitation

The next day Ren met Kyoko just outside of the restaurant at a quarter past eleven. They had decided it would be easiest to walk out a ways towards a clearing to shoot. So they walked, Kyoko carrying a basket with a blanket and Ren with two pistols and a satchel containing ammunition.

"Thank you again for offering to teach me." She told him as they walked through a clearing.

"You shouldn't thank me yet." He teased. "We have to see if I'm any good as a teacher first."

Ren lead the way to a large tree. "We can set out lunch here." He told her.

Kyoko nodded and the pair made quick work of setting out the picnic. It was nothing special, just sandwiches, some apples, and cookies. Yet, Kyoko noticed it felt special. Sitting with the sheriff and sharing a lunch she had prepared.

She found she was unable to keep a small smile off her face.

* * *

Behind a bush near the large tree Ren and Kyoko were picnicking under, crouched Ruriko. She hated being that close to nature but this was an important part of her plan. She watched as Ren laughed at something Kyoko said and she felt her face heat up.

 _Why does that brat think he can get away with making Ren laugh like that?_ She thought angrily.

* * *

Kyoko removed her hat as they prepared to begin shooting.

"You dyed your hair." Ren commented approvingly.

Kyoko blushed lightly. "Did I do all right? I wasn't sure if I got it all."

The sheriff reached out a hand and ran his fingers through the light colored hair. "I think you did very well. Especially if you've never done it yourself before."

* * *

Ruriko could feel her blood boiling as she watched Ren gently caress the younger man's hair. She bit down on her hand as she let out a muffled scream of frustration. But the final straw wasn't until several minutes later when she was forced to watch as Ren stepped behind Kyoko and gently guided her arms and hands to the proper posture to shoot.

The school teacher stood and hurried away from the clearing. She stomped angrily through the brush all the while cursing under her breath. "That damn brat has confused my darling Ren. He suddenly thinks it's acceptable to act that way with another man."

 _I'll have to do something about this!_ She thought, determined to take care of her problem once and for all.

* * *

Ren carefully guided Kyoko as she aimed her gun at the can he had placed on a tree stump. Having him so close to her was making Kyoko's heart beat fast. But she was determined to hit the can this time, having already missed it twice. She focused and aimed carefully before pulling the trigger.

There was a ding as the bullet hit the can, throwing it to the ground. Kyoko spun around excitedly. "I shot it!" she exclaimed.

Ren beamed down at her as she danced around. "Good shot," he said, "looks like you're a very good student."

Kyoko smiled up at him. "No, you are a very good teacher. Thank you, Sheriff."

"You know, you can call me 'Ren'." He told her softly as he reloaded the gun.

She stiffened unsure of how to respond. Calling him Ren would feel too familiar. As if they had been friends for a long time. She wasn't sure she could handle having that kind of closeness with this man. Especially, when she still had a job to do.

But Ren didn't wait for an answer. Instead, he handed back the loaded gun. "Now, why don't we try shooting some moving targets."

The following day was Sunday, and after everyone had attended morning service, Kyoko found Ren and Yukihito as outside of the school building.

"Good day, Sheriff, Deputy." She greeted, giving a nod to each of them.

Yukihito smiled and patted the top of her hat. "Good day to you, Kyo."

Ren couldn't help but smile. "How did you enjoy the service this morning?" he asked innocently.

A darkness spread over Kyoko before she forced it away. But her annoyance at his question remained. The preacher had taught about how women shouldn't go about in men's clothing. A lesson she hadn't found troubling until Ren brought it up now. She was not a religious person but she still didn't appreciate Ren mentioning her secret.

"It was a very enlightening sermon." She said carefully, emphasizing every word with politeness.

Yukihito glanced between them, full of confusion. He had no idea what they were talking about.

"Did you want me to go buy our lunch from the restaurant?" Yukihito asked Ren suddenly.

Ren focused on the deputy. "Oh, yeah. You're right. Go ahead before there's too large of a crowd."

As the deputy hurried away, Kyoko began to walk with Ren. "You aren't going to the restaurant for lunch?"

He shook his head. "I have some leftover work to finish. So I was going to the station."

"Did you want any help?" Kyoko offered quietly. As much as she wanted to spend time with him, she didn't want to be an inconvenience.

"Well, Yukihito is coming in for a bit," Ren said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Kyoko felt the smile slip off her face.

"But, we could always use an extra hand. If nothing else, it's nice to have the company." By the time he had finished speaking the smile had reappeared on Kyoko's face, though she tried to control it. She didn't want to seem to eager.

"Well, then let's get going," Kyoko agreed.

The pair headed off towards the station. Just as Ren finished unlocking the door, Ruriko came hurrying up the steps and followed them into the station.

"Miss Ruriko?" Ren asked, surprised she had come into the station to see him so suddenly.

She paused for a moment to catch her breath, as she had apparently walked quite quickly after them.

"I'm so happy I caught up to you. There was something I needed to discuss. I have decided I would like you to escort me to the town's dance next Sunday night." She spoke as if offering the most wonderful opportunity known to man, and to be honest her attitude irritated Ren.

"I'm sorry, Miss Ruriko, but I have no intention of going to-" He started but she quickly cut him off by holding up a hand.

"I'm awfully sorry, Sheriff." She said sweetly. "But I wasn't asking you. I was actually asking Kyo."

Kyoko's jaw dropped in surprise. "Me?" she exclaimed.

Ruriko nodded. "Yes, Kyo. I'd like you to escort me to the dance. I know we haven't spoken very much but you were oh so kind to me the other day and I'd like to get to know you more." She reached out and straightened Kyoko's hat while giving a sideways glance at Ren to see his reaction. He certainly looked shocked.

 _Good._ She thought. _Let him realize what a mistake he made rejecting me._ She turned back to Kyoko.

"So, what do you say?"

Kyoko was dumbfounded. Surely, she couldn't accept and go to the dance with another woman. But then again, at present she was pretending to be a man. _And I've always wanted to go to a dance…_ She gave a charming smile to Ruriko and nodded. "I'd be honored to escort you to the dance, Miss."

After Ruriko had nearly skipped out of the building, Ren fell back into his chair. He couldn't believe that Ruriko had asked Kyoko to the dance. And even more surprising was the fact that Kyoko had accepted the invitation.

"Have you gone crazy?" he asked, watching the strange girl before him.

Kyoko looked surprised and a little hurt by his words. "What do you mean?"

He ran a hand through his hair, feeling exasperated. "Kyoko, do you really thinks it's a good idea to take Miss Ruriko to a dance?"

She stared down at her feet. _Why does he have to scold me the first time he actually says my name?_ She sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't think about it like that. I just, I got excited because I've never been to a dance. And I knew no one else was going to ask me."

Ren's annoyance at her decision began to fade. _Of course a girl who has never been to a dance would want to go if given the chance._ "Well, I guess it isn't too bad. I mean, you can go and dance with her for a bit and then be done."

Kyoko blushed as she realized something that his words had reminded her of. "Just one tiny problem," Kyoko said softly.

"And what's that?"

"I-I don't actually know how to dance."

Ren stared at her for several moments. Then he looked down at his desk and covered his mouth as he tried not to laugh. This girl was just too funny. _First, she accepts an invitation to a dance with another woman without thinking of the consequences. Then realizes she doesn't know how to dance._ A snort escaped and a moment later he was laughing.

Kyoko tapped her foot irritably. "You don't have to laugh at me." She muttered.

Ren caught his breath, stopping his laughter. "Sorry. But what are you going to do then?"

She looked completely hopeless for several moments before her eyes lit up. "You could teach me!" she exclaimed.

The sheriff shook his head. "Oh, no. I may know how but I haven't actually danced in a long time."

She moved to his desk and kneeled in front of him. "Please, Sheriff. Will you please teach me how to dance? I'm sure if it was you then I could learn quickly. I mean, look at how quickly you taught me to shoot."

Ren considered rejecting her request. But the thought of teaching this girl before him, who he had begun to have some feelings for, how to dance intrigued him. He sighed. "All right. Just get off the floor." He took her hand and pulled her up.

"So you'll teach me?" she asked, her eyes full of hope.

He nodded, running a hand through his hair. "First lesson is tomorrow night after dinner. Meet me back in here around 7:30."

The following evening, found Kyoko standing anxiously outside of the sheriff's station door. It was only 7:20 but in her excitement over the upcoming lesson, she had finished her duties quickly and was now early.

 _What do I do?_ She wondered as she stood frozen outside the wooden door. She raised her fist to knock but paused again. _Will he think I'm stupid for being here so early?_ She lowered her hand slowly, torn over what to do.

"Were you going to knock?" Came a whisper near her ear. She spun around quickly to find Ren grinning at her mischievously.

"Don't sneak up on people like that!" she scolded him. "It's very rude!"

He chuckled as he watched her face turn bright red. "I'm sorry. I just thought it was cute." He muttered before reaching around her to unlock the door. He pushed it open. "Ladies first." He murmured in her ear.

Kyoko felt a chill run down her spine and quickly stepped inside the station. She could feel her hands starting to sweat as her nerves took over. "So where do we start?" she asked, watching the man before her warily.

Ren moved across to his desk and pulled out a small record player and placed a record on it. "Well, first we start with some music." He beckoned her to him. "Come here."

She moved slowly to his side. _We're all alone again. Just like the other night at his house._ She thought as she watched him.

"Now come take my hand." He instructed. He held out his hand to her and Kyoko took it. He then placed her other hand on his shoulder and placed his corresponding hand near her waist. With a quick movement he started the music and he began to lead her, slowly at first.

"Just try to follow my lead." He began to count as he tried to instruct her on which foot to move where.

Kyoko felt nervous at the close proximity to each other. She mistakenly moved her left foot forward when it should've gone back and landed her boot hard atop his own. He winced and Kyoko cringed. "Sorry." She muttered.

"It's all right. It does take some practice." He replied. "So, tell me, where you lived before, did they hold a lot of dances?"

Kyoko nodded excitedly. "There was one at least every month. And all of the girls wore beautiful dresses. It was very fun for those who went."

"And you never went?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I never had anybody who asked me."

Another misstep caused another pained cringe to cross Ren's face as he tried to instruct her again.

"Not even Shotaro?"

A pained expression crossed her face before she forced a smile. "No, Shotaro had plenty of other girls he would rather spend time with."

Ren felt his anger with Shotaro flare up within him. He didn't like that this boy had hurt Kyoko so badly. But even more, he didn't like that Shotaro still held so much of her heart.

As they danced, Ren noticed that Kyoko's expression softened. A small smile playing on her lips. He could feel something that might have been jealousy take over his thoughts. _Is she imagining dancing with him? Is that why she looks so happy now?_

He began to move more quickly, forgetting to take the time to explain the movements to Kyoko. Only one thing mattered right now, and that was the fact that Kyoko should not be thinking of another man while dancing with him.

"Can we slow down? Please?" Kyoko asked. "I'm having trouble keeping up."

Ren sighed and stopped the music. "Well, let's take a break then." He moved away from her and back towards his chair. "Although, if you really focused you could get it easily." He murmured under his breath.

Kyoko paused, looking at him in confusion, her eyes searching him. "I- I am focused." She argued.

"If you were really focused, you wouldn't let other things distract you. I thought you would've picked it up by now." Deep within Ren he scolded himself the moment the words left his mouth, but something in him was taking control.

Kyoko looked at him, her eyes filled with hurt. She took a step back. "I am trying. I'm just not very good at it yet. If you didn't want to teach me, you didn't have to. I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

And with those words, Kyoko hurried out of the room. Ren leaned against his desk feeling guilty. He had allowed his jealousy to take control, and had said something he hadn't intended to. _And now she'll probably hate me._

* * *

 **A/N: First let me say I am so sorry for the delay in getting a new chapter up! I actually wrote this chapter and had to go back and rewrite about half of it because it didn't flow properly. But next week is thanksgiving here so I will have some time off of work and I'm hoping to get a bunch of writing done! Thank you for your patience!**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Making Amends

Kyoko wiped at her eyes as she stormed back to the hotel where she was currently living. Tears stung her amber eyes and a hiccup escaped her mouth. She ducked into the alley along the side of the building and sunk to the ground. Hot tears flowed freely down her face, and she tried to hide it by burying her face in her knees.

 _This is so stupid!_ She scolded herself. _Why am I getting so upset? And why did the sheriff have to say that?_

" _If you were really focused, you wouldn't let other things distract you."_

"What was that supposed to mean?" She paused as she tried to understand his words. Then her face felt hot. _Did he realize I was distracted because we were so close? Oh goodness._ She felt a sob escape her throat. _He must be so disgusted with me being interested in him. That's why he acted that way._

The next morning, Ren looked horrible and Yukihito didn't bother pretending not to notice.

"Couldn't sleep last night?" the deputy asked as they walked up the main stairs to the restaurant.

Ren shook his head. "Nightmare." He muttered.

Inside, they found something surprising. The menu sign that normally was prepared with an assortment of options was blank. Kanae could be seen rushing back and forth between the kitchen and the dining room.

The pair quickly sat at their usual table, and after a few minutes, Kanae approached.

"Good morning, Miss Kanae." Yukihito said with a smile. "Is everything all right?"

Kanae frowned. "Not particularly. Kyo wasn't feeling well enough to get out of bed this morning, so we just have the usual breakfast like we had before he got to town." Her eyes moved from the deputy to land on the sheriff. "He seems to have caught something while he was out last night." She said coldly, her eyes shining with anger.

Ren met her eyes, willingly. There was no desire to try and play innocent, he knew it was his fault if Kyoko was avoiding him. "I hope he feels better quickly." He answered.

They ordered breakfast after that, Ren only ordering his cup of coffee. A couple of hours later, as he tried to do work, he regretted having not eaten a proper breakfast like he had gotten used to. His stomach growled loudly.

"You okay over there, Ren?" Yukihito asked, a bit of teasing in his voice.

Ren sighed, lacking the energy to retort with sarcasm.

Yukihito stood up from his desk and approached the sheriff. "By any chance, did you and Kyo have an argument?"

"What makes you think that?" Ren replied, not looking up from the papers he was reading.

The deputy shook his head at his friends stubbornness. "Well, considering that I've never seen you look so serious, and Kyo doesn't seem the type to not show up for work… I thought maybe something happened."

Ren considered lying, after all, it was none of Yukihito business. "Well," he began, and then decided against lying. At least some truth could be revealed. "Yes, we had an argument and I said something…" he sighed, "Well, something I shouldn't have."

A warm hand patted the sheriff's shoulder. "Just give him a bit of space. He'll come around. Be happy he's not a woman. They can hold onto things like that for ages."

And somehow, the deputy's words did not soothe Ren's worries.

 _Knock! Knock!_

Kyoko's eyes fluttered open, her eyelids heavy from having been crying the night before. There was the sound of a key turning and then the door opened. Kanae stepped into the room carrying a tray.

"Are you done moping around?" The older girl asked.

Kyoko sat up feeling guilty. She had told Kanae the night before that she wouldn't be up for cooking in the morning and although the girl had complained, she had allowed Kyoko the rest.

"I'm sorry for not cooking this morning." She muttered as she rubbed her hands together.

Kanae set the tray down on Kyoko's lap. "It's fine. I handled it before and I could do it again."

Kyoko stared down at the bowl of soup and piece of bread that was on the tray. "Thank you, Miss Kanae." She said softly.

"Now, will you tell me what happened between you and the sheriff?" Kanae asked. She wasn't particularly interested in the other girl's personal life but she did want to know if she should've spit in his coffee that morning.

After taking a spoonful of soup, Kyoko decided to answer. "I just… am a really terrible dancer, that's all."

Kanae rolled her eyes. "Fine. Go ahead and keep your secrets. I'll remember not to ask next time." She tried to hide the fact that the lie had stung. _It's not as if I thought we were friends._ She thought as she started for the door.

"I'm sorry!" Kyoko cried out. Her words stopped the older girl in her tracks. "The sheriff just said something to me last night that made me realize I'm an inconvenience to him. It turns out it was only me enjoying our time together." She stared down into the tray on her lap.

By the door, she heard Kanae curse under her breath. "Such an idiot." She mumbled. She looked at Kyoko. "I wouldn't worry too much over Ren. Men say stupid things all the time, but they rarely mean it." Her face had become gentle, but that was gone a moment later. "And make sure you are downstairs to cook dinner tonight. Moping in bed won't solve anything."

As the door closed behind the dark haired woman, Kyoko took another spoonful of soup and smiled. Perhaps, Kanae was right.

Time passed, and Kanae found herself back behind the bar of her restaurant, she struggled with what to do. A part of her wanted to follow the rule she always had followed- don't meddle in other people's business. And yet, their was a part of her, that after seeing the hopeless look on the other girl's face, couldn't help but want to interfere.

She threw down the rag she'd been using to wipe the already clean counter and stepped into her office. There she grabbed a couple of letters she needed to mail and headed for the door. And if by some chance, she were to run into Ren, it wouldn't be bad if she spoke her mind.

Yukihito glanced at his watch, surprised to see how much time had passed. He looked across the room and watch his friend for a moment. Ren had stopped writing and was staring blankly out the window.

"Ren?"

The sheriff jumped. "What?" he asked, more harshly than he had meant to.

"Did you want me to check in at the post office? I know you had a letter you were waiting on."

Ren shook his head and stood. "I'll go. I need some air." And with those words he put his hat on his head and then walked out the door.

The sheriff had just reached the door to the post office, when it flew open to reveal the town's dark haired beauty.

"Miss Kanae." He greeted her, tipping his hat.

Kanae looked up, a strange expression crossed her face. "Sheriff." She opened her mouth to say more but closed it with a sudden determined look. She stepped around him and continued on her way.

Ren was confused but headed inside to finish his business.

After walking a few steps away, Kanae turned back. _I promised myself if I ran into him I would talk to him._ She told herself, as she approached the building again.

Then she paused. _Why do I need to say anything? It's none of my business._

Kanae shook her head and began to walk away again. Only to stop a moment later. Her head was a whirl of confusing thoughts. Her thoughts travelled back to the depressed looking girl who she knew was still sitting in a room by herself. "I guess, if it's for her." She muttered.

Before she had the chance to change her mind again, the door reopened and out stepped the sheriff. He paused to look at her in confusion.

"You're still here." He commented, "Did you forget something?"

Kanae shook her head. "I needed to speak with you. About Kyo."

Ren ran a hand through his hair before nodding. "Very well, then."

He followed her back to the empty restaurant and into her small office. Once there she gestured to a chair. "You can sit." Kanae muttered. She was silent a moment longer before finally speaking.

"Why did you offer to teach her to dance if you didn't want to?" she blurted out the question unapologetically.

Ren's eyebrows shot up on surprise. "I didn't offer. And it's not exactly that I didn't want to."

Kanae rolled her eyes. "Well, you still can't go around yelling at people for not learning quickly. Maybe you just aren't a good teacher."

He sighed. "Kanae, that isn't what happened."

His serious tone made her resolve falter. "Well, that's what Kyoko thinks happened. She thinks you hate her."

Ren winced at the word 'hate'. That was the last thing he felt for Kyoko. "I was thinking about other things and got irritated. I shouldn't have taken it out on her." He admitted.

"Well, I'm glad you realized that. Now then," she folded her arms over her chest and gave a proud smirk. "If you could please fix things with her tonight. I don't need her skipping out on helping with breakfast tomorrow. Everybody just complains about having to eat the old food."

The sheriff nodded with a slight chuckle, before bidding good bye to Kanae and heading back to his work. Now he just needed to figure out how to apologize to Kyoko.

That evening, Kyoko made sure to take several deep breaths and spend several minutes with her Corn stone before heading downstairs to prepare for dinner. She had had to remind herself of the one very important fact. There was absolutely no chance that she would have to see, let alone talk to, Ren.

 _After all, it's not like I'm out in the dining room. I stay in the kitchen and focus on the food._ She told herself as she began to write out the night's menu. She sighed though as Ren's face crossed through her mind. _Although, I kind of wish I could see him._

She quickly shook her head. "Stop thinking such foolish things. He doesn't want to be around you. He's probably only tolerated you up until now because he's suspicious of you." She muttered under her breath.

Kanae sighed from the kitchen doorway. "If you're done talking to yourself, could you prepare the first orders?"

Kyoko nodded, "Right. Sorry, Miss Kanae!"

The night flew by as Kyoko served all of the evening's guests. By the end she was feeling quite tired, though she was unsure if that was from the cooking or from her emotional frustrations that morning. Either way she was happy when Kanae stepped into the kitchen to announce that they had closed.

"Did you want some help with the dishes?" Kanae offered.

Kyoko smiled, "You don't have to, but I won't turn down help."

Kanae nodded and stepped back out of the kitchen, leaving behind a confused Kyoko. She returned a moment later, followed by a tall and somehow shy looking man.

Kyoko could feel her face flush with embarrassment the moment the sheriff's eyes met her own. She looked away and missed the awkward look that crossed his face.

"Since I'm busy, the sheriff volunteered to help out." Kanae lied, giving a small push to Ren. "I have to go out. So I'm leaving the rest to you."

An awkward silence filled the air as soon as the door swung shut behind the young woman.

"What would you like me to help with?" Ren asked, trying to hide his nervousness.

Kyoko moved to the sink and turned on the faucet. "It's fine. I can take care of it on my own." Her voice was surprisingly unemotional and she thanked Corn for giving her strength.

A moment later, she felt the presence of the tall sheriff behind her. A large hand turned off the sink and then placed itself atop her own small hand.

"Kyoko."

His voice was calm and quiet, and it sent a chill down Kyoko's spine. She closed her eyes for a moment to try and keep control. Then opened them and slid her hand away from his. She could feel her heart beating nearly out of her chest and quickly moved away from Ren.

"I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me. I'm not going to suddenly skip town, so don't force yourself to spend time with me. I know it must be very inconvenient." Kyoko's voice was clear in the empty kitchen. This wasn't a new feeling for her. The feeling of being unwanted. She had felt it before. First with her mother, then with Shotaro.

 _And now with Ren._

"I'm not."

She looked up at the sound of his voice and found his familiar green eyes staring at her. "W-what?" she stuttered.

A small smile played on Ren's lips. "I'm not forcing myself to spend time with you. And I'm sorry I made you feel that way. I was in a bad mood last night and I took it out on you. I am sorry."

Kyoko felt her heart skip a beat as she took in the warm smile. "I- I," she paused, unsure of how to respond.

"Will you please allow me to continue teaching you how to dance?" he asked.

Kyoko looked down. "I don't want to be a bother."

Suddenly, Ren was in front of her, his hand gently lifting her chin until their eyes met again. "You wouldn't be. I would just like the chance to fulfill the promise I made to you."

Kyoko blinked, feeling her face heat up with every second his hand was touching her face. She jumped back. "Um, yes then. I would be very grateful if you would continue teaching me."

A chuckle escaped Ren's mouth. "Then let's finish cleaning up here and go start your next lesson."

Kyoko nodded and the pair began to clean the remaining mess. Her heart didn't slow it's beating as they finished cleaning or as their dancing lesson continued. In fact, she was fairly certain it was still beating fast as she drifted off into a deep sleep that night.

* * *

 **A/N: First let me apologize for the long wait for this chapter. I temporarily lost my inspiration and was having trouble writing. But I can promise you another chapter on New years Day, to start off 2017!**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter a lot. We are coming up quickly to a change in this story but surprisingly I still have at least another 5-7 chapters for this story. I hadn't expected it to be so long. :)**

 **Thank you for reading! And if you have time, reviews are appreciated! Thanks!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Happy new Year! Sorry this didn't get posted yesterday. My daughter has been sick and so it didn't happen. Here's chapter 11! I really enjoyed writing this chapter and I hope you like it too! Next one will post next Monday.:)**

* * *

Chapter 11: Exposed Secrets

"All right, now it's your turn to lead."

It was Saturday, the night before the much anticipated town dance and Ren and Kyoko found themselves in the dimly lit sheriff's station practicing to soft music. Kyoko shook her head in response to the sheriff's statement.

"I don't think I can lead you in a dance." She muttered as she stared at her feet.

Ren rolled his eyes. He placed both hands on her shoulders, causing Kyoko to look up at him in surprise. "Now look," he stated firmly. "You have done a good job learning the dances I taught you but it won't do you any good if you can't lead Ruriko tomorrow night."

She sighed, "I know, you're right. But it'll be a lot more difficult to lead a man like you who's so tall compared to Miss Ruriko." She commented.

Ren laughed, "Exactly. So if you can handle leading me you'll have nothing to worry about tomorrow."

Kyoko couldn't disagree with his argument, and soon found herself nervously struggling to lead him in a dance. He followed her movements easily, and she could feel a slight envy at his talent for dancing. "Are you always so perfect at everything?" she asked, some of her bitterness leaking into her tone.

Another chuckle left Ren's mouth. "There are a lot of things I'm not perfect at." He replied.

"Like what?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Like knowing how to handle you."

If he had been teasing her, Kyoko could've easily brushed aside his comment. But when she looked up into his eyes they weren't sparkling with amusement. No, this sparkle was different; and there was something serious in his voice.

"I think you handle me just fine." She muttered, looking down in an attempt to hide her blush.

At that moment, the song ended and the record player clicked off. The pair stopped their movements and Ren took the opportunity to place a finger under Kyoko's chin. He carefully tilted up her bright red face.

"You think I'm doing a good job at handling you? Because most of the time it feels like I'm always doing or saying exactly the wrong thing." His voice was hushed and sweet.

"It's not you." She answered. "I- I'm just not very good with being close to people."

Ren smiled down at her in a way that made her heart melt. He slowly leaned down until his face was just a few inches from her own. "Really? Because I think you are doing just fine."

And with those whispered words, he moved to kiss her.

Or at least, he would have, if it weren't for the sudden noise of the door.

"Ren, I forgot some of my papers…" Yukihito's voice faded into silence as he took in the sight before him.

A very red-faced and startled looking Kyo was nearly backed against the wall while the tall and menacing looking sheriff was hovering over him in what appeared to be preparation for a kiss.

Kyoko jumped away from the sheriff. "I have to go." She muttered before rushing from the building.

Ren stood in silence, facing the spot where Kyoko had been just moments before. Meanwhile, his deputy stood watching him. A million thoughts were racing through his mind as he tried to figure out a response to what he had just witnessed.

He smiled and attempted to make a joke. "Now now, Sheriff. I know you seem like something of a Casanova, but don't go scaring away Kyo by forcing a kiss on him." It wouldn't particular bother him if Ren was interested in men. He thought of himself as being fairly open-minded and would of course be willing to keep his friend's secret.

Ren moved over to his desk and dropped into his chair feeling flustered. His hand moved to his hair as he answered. "I- I wasn't. I mean, I would never want to scare Kyoko away like that-"

Yukihito stared at him with wide eyes, "Kyoko?"

Ren closed his eyes and cursed under his breath. _Well, I guess that secret was bound to come out eventually. At least, Yukihito should be able to keep it a secret._

Suddenly, everything in the deputy's mind clicked. All of the times he had thought of Kyo as being just a bit too feminine. Or when he had noticed the special attention Ren had paid her. If _he_ was a woman…

"Well, at least now it all makes sense." He commented with a small laugh. He moved closer to where Ren was. "But why don't you explain why she is pretending to be a boy?"

In her hotel room, Kyoko splashed some cool water from the basin onto her face which was still burning. When she closed her eyes, she kept seeing the sheriff's face leaning in for a- She shook her head. _No, that's ridiculous. I have to have been imagining things. He wouldn't try to kiss me. He doesn't think of me like that._

She flopped onto her bed and sighed. "It's not as though I wanted him to kiss me." She muttered.

But as she drifted to sleep, she couldn't stop herself from dreaming about what that kiss might have been like.

"Do I look all right?" Kyoko asked Kanae the following afternoon.

The pair were standing in Kyoko's room as Kanae helped her to dress for the evening the whole town had been eagerly awaiting. Kanae had loaned her an old suit that she had lying around from a boy who had worked for her a couple of years before.

"I think it actually looks pretty good." She commented, adjusting the shirt sleeves. "Akira was about your size luckily. And he only ever wore this for Easter one year so it's still in good condition."

Kyoko turned and looked in the mirror. Her hair had been slicked back and the shirt was loose-fitting to help hide the few curves she did have. She had to wear a belt to keep the pants from sliding but aside from that, she thought she actually looked rather nice.

"It's nearly time to go. Are you picking up Ruriko from her house?" Kanae asked.

Kyoko nodded, a smile lighting up her face. "Yes. She asked me to meet her at her house just before six o'clock."

"Then you should probably getting going. I think it's nearly six." Kanae told her.

Kyoko looked surprised. "You're right!" she hurried over to Kanae and grabbed hold of both her hands. "And you promise you'll be there, right? Just in case something goes wrong?"

Kanae rolled her eyes. "Nothing is gonna go wrong. But yes, I'll be there."

Kyoko smiled at her brightly before hurrying out of the room, leaving behind a blushing Kanae. _Why does she have to act so overly friendly?_ She thought irritably.

She sighed, "I really hope this all goes smoothly."

Kyoko paced nervously in front of Ruriko's small cottage. It was situated near the schoolhouse for convenience and therefore Kyoko could watch as the other townspeople made their way inside for the festivities. She had already knocked once on the door and had received a reply through the closed door of "Give me just another minute."

"But that had to have been at least ten minutes ago." She sighed throwing her head back to look at the darkening sky.

There was the sound of the door opening and she turned around to see the school-teacher emerging from her home.

Kyoko was awestruck when she saw the beautiful dress Ruriko had chosen to wear. She had her brown hair braided to one side of her head and was wearing a lovely necklace that sparkled in the moonlight.

 _She's just like a princess._ Kyoko thought to herself. She moved forward and bowed to her date. "You look beautiful, Miss Ruriko."

Ruriko glared down at the top of Kyoko's head before faking a cheerful smile. "Of course, I do, Kyo. Shall we go over now?"

Kyoko nodded, and offered her arm. They walked in what Kyoko was sure was an awkward silence until they entered the doors to the large schoolhouse. It was already crowded with people dancing and drinking juice that had been set out on a table.

"Would you like to dance?" Kyoko asked. She was feeling a little excited at the thought of trying out the dances Ren had taught her.

Ruriko glanced around the room. "No, not yet. Go get me a drink."

The sweetness had melted away leaving a bitter tone. Kyoko tried not to appear shocked, and hurried away to get the drink for her companion. When she had accomplished her task she found her way through the crowd and back to the spot where she had left Ruriko. Except, the teacher was no longer there.

"Where'd she go now?" she wondered aloud.

"Looking for someone?"

She spun around and found herself standing beside Hikaru. He had dressed up and attempted to fix his hair in a different manner than usual. Kyoko smiled at him.

"You look nice, Hikaru." She commented kindly.

He blushed, "You look… um, very handsome." He replied, trying to figure out why his heart was beating so fast. "Oh, you were looking for someone, right?"

Kyoko nodded, "Yes, my date. I seem to have lost Miss Ruriko."

The pair glanced around the room.

"Wait! Kyo, I see her. She's talking with…" Hikaru's voice faded out as he found himself in an increasingly awkward situation.

Kyoko followed his gaze and spotted Ruriko chatting warmly with none other than the handsome Sheriff. She felt a pain in her chest as she watched the older girl caress Ren's arm. She watched as he smiled charmingly at the teacher.

Hikaru patted Kyoko's shoulder in sympathy. "I'm sorry."

She looked at him, feigning confusion. "For what? You helped me locate my date. Thank you very much." She then hurried off toward the person in question.

"Miss Ruriko!" Kyoko called out when she was near her target. "You wandered off before I could get you your drink." She told her kindly.

Ruriko faked a smile, "Thank you. I guess you just took so long I got distracted. Ren was just keeping me company."

Kyoko looked up and met Ren's eyes which were watching her curiously. _He must think I look strange in this get-up._

"Well, I'm sure you must want to dance with your date, Miss Ruriko, so I'll let you go." Ren told her pointedly before stepping away.

Ruriko let out an annoyed sigh. "You just had to come over here right now, didn't you?" she muttered harshly.

Kyoko felt all the excitement of the evening vanish. Of course, a part of her had guessed she'd only been invited as an attempt to make the sheriff jealous, but she'd at least hoped to have an enjoyable time.

"I know you didn't want to come with me, but would you at least like to dance?" she asked after a moment.

Ruriko looked at her unhappily but sighed. "Fine. But only because I won't be the only girl here who doesn't get to dance."

Kyoko took hold of one of Ruriko's hands before placing her unoccupied hand on the older girl's waist. They began to dance along with several other couples and Kyoko hoped that maybe after this dance she could sneak off and leave without feeling anymore humiliated.

As Ren made his way across the room, he sighed, grateful to have escaped from Ruriko. Although, a part of him was worried for Kyoko, he hoped she'd at least be able to enjoy herself. He watched as many of the couples throughout the room began to dance as a new song began. That was when he spotted Kaori, a young teenaged girl standing by herself.

Kaori stared down at her feet while playing with her auburn hair awkwardly. Ren approached her.

"Why aren't you dancing, Kaori?" he asked kindly.

She seemed startled by his presence. "Oh, I was supposed to come with Kouta but he got sick and his mother made him stay home."

Ren nodded, then he held out a hand to her. "Maybe I ask you to dance then? I hate to see a girl not having a good time at a party."

She blushed at suddenly having the attention of a handsome older man, but nodded shyly. "Th- thank you, Sheriff."

He led her onto the dance floor as they joined in on the dance.

Across the room, Ruriko glared daggers at the new pair joining the dance. _Why is he dancing with that child?_ She thought angrily. Kaori was a student of hers and almost fifteen. But still she didn't like the chance that anyone else could be attempting to steal the man she had her eyes on.

In her distracted state she lost the timing of her steps and Kyoko's foot wound up atop hers. Kyoko pulled back quickly.

"Sorry, Miss. I didn't mean to." She offered politely.

Ruriko glared at her. "You're think if you were going to agree to bring me then you'd at least make sure you can dance." She sneered.

Kyoko took a step back, stunned. "It was an accident."

Ruriko rolled her eyes. "You think that just because everyone else in town buys this sweet innocent act that I will? You are just trying to trick everyone into trusting you." She leaned in closer to Kyoko and glared at her. "You don't belong here." She hissed. "Just leave!" and with those words she shoved Kyoko hard, knocking her to the ground.

Ruriko was immediately aware of everyone staring at them. Her cry and the sound of Kyoko falling had managed to grab everyone's attention.

 _I have to think fast or else everyone will turn on me._ She spun to the side and spotted Hikaru holding a cup of punch. She yanked it from him and dumped it onto Kyoko. "How dare you!" she cried out loudly.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: An Unexpected Development

"How dare you!" Ruriko cried out as she dumped a cup of punch atop Kyoko's head.

Kyoko sat there on the wooden floor stunned. Then she spotted Ren making his way through the crowd. Immediately, Ruriko threw herself at him.

"Oh, Sheriff! You need to arrest him." She pointed an accusing finger at Kyoko. "He tried to steal me away to do unseemly things."

Ren moved away from Ruriko, shaking off her attachment. He stepped next to Kyoko and held out a hand, assisting her back up off the ground. "Are you all right?" he asked.

Ruriko let out a shrill cry. "Why are you caring about him? I was the one who was practically attacked."

He turned his gaze towards the school-teacher and it was cold. "I really don't believe that Kyo would do anything of the sort."

Ruriko glanced around looking for someone to defend her. She spotted Hikaru and grabbed his arm, pulling him against her. "You saw what he did, didn't you, Hikaru? You believe me!"

Hikaru pulled himself away from her. "Actually, the only thing I saw was you push him. And I don't believe that Kyo would ever do anything like what you're claiming."

Ruriko looked like she might explode with anger. "So what? You'll all just believe him even though none of you heard what was actually said?"

" 'You think that just because everyone else in town buys this sweet innocent act that I will? You are just trying to trick everyone into trusting you.'"

Everyone's eyes turned to where the deputy Yukihito stood nearby. "I believe you said something along those lines. Isn't that right, Miss Ruriko?"

Ruriko let out a scream. "Just because some newcomer shows up you all choose to believe in him. It's not fair that he comes here and steals away everyone's attention. What do you even know about him? If you all side with him right now, then I'll leave." She was getting hysterical and at this point, she was too far gone to even care. "If you choose him then I'll leave and you'll lose your teacher."

"It wouldn't be any big loss," Came a voice Kyoko recognized as Kanae's.

People quickly began to agree. "My kids hate going to school with you."

"That's right! My daughter said you don't even teach them."

In the midst of the growing insults, Ruriko turned and stormed out of the schoolhouse.

Slowly, the townspeople began to return to their own amusements. The music began again and people resumed dancing. Ren turned around to speak to Kyoko, but found she was no longer there.

"I think she went out there," Kanae told him, pointing out the side door that lead to the yard.

Ren followed her direction and wandered through the yard in the moonlight. He soon located Kyoko sitting under a nearby tree.

He crouched in front of where she sat. Her knees were pulled up to her chest and her head was down, protected by her arms.

"Are you okay?" he asked gently.

Kyoko jumped, her head flying up as she looked to see who had followed her. Her face turned a darker red when she realized it was Ren.

 _He's the last person I want seeing me like this._ She thought.

Just then, she felt a hand stroke her hair. "Kyoko, are you all right? Are you hurt?"

She looked up at him. "I'm not hurt. At least not physically." She looked back down, returning her gaze to her knees.

Ren took the opportunity to sit down next to her. "I'm sorry that you had to deal with all of that. But from the sound of it, Ruriko plans to leave town now." He gave her a smile.

"I'm sure that's good and all. I'm just a little disappointed in how tonight went." She commented. Kyoko began to trace circles in the dirt with her finger.

"I suppose it really couldn't have turned out much worse."

Kyoko sighed, "I guess, I just thought it might be nice to have one night to forget about things and enjoy myself." She gave a small tired laugh. "I didn't even get to have one proper dance."

Ren hopped to his feet. His hand grabbed hers and pulled her to her feet.

"What are you-?"

"You wanted to dance, right?" he asked, his eyes sparkling. "Would you dance with me? We can still hear the music out here."

Kyoko shook her head and started to pull her hand away. "No, I cant. I'm a mess and someone might see."

His grasp on her hand tightened to a firm but gentle hold. "Everyone is inside. No one is going to come out here." He told her. "And I think you look beautiful."

Kyoko's eyes went wide and she immediately felt her whole face heat up. But the next moment, she was in the Sheriff's arms and they were dancing.

 _So this is what it feels like._ She thought to herself as they danced. _To dance with someone you love._

The thought startled her, but she couldn't deny it anymore. It was true, she had allowed herself to somehow fall for this kind man before her.

As the song ended, Ren leaned his face closer to hers. "Kyoko," he whispered.

Her eyes flew shut as she realized what was about to happen. And the next instant she felt a warm sensation against her cheek.

Ren watched as her hand flew up to rest on the spot he had kissed. He had planned to kiss her lips, but from the look on her face, he knew she wasn't ready for that.

He watched as she stood silently, trying to figure out what had just occurred. A small chuckle escaped his mouth and he immediately wished it hadn't.

Suddenly, she was glaring at him. "Are you making fun of me?" she asked. Before he could answer, she turned and began to storm down the street towards the hotel.

Ren hurried after her and grabbed her hand to stop her. "Kyoko, no," he told her, "I wasn't. I wasn't making fun of you. You just looked so cute I couldn't help myself."

"Yep. You are." She said, pulling away. "How could I possibly look cute right now."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry for upsetting you." He said calmly. "Could I at least be allowed to escort you back to the hotel?"

Kyoko looked at him uncertainly for a moment, before nodding. "But don't do anything like that again. You're lucky. If it were any other girl she might take you seriously. But I won't."

He glanced sideways at her as they walked. "Why not?"

"Because I know you are a Casanova." She said matter-of-factly.

Ren reached over and ruffled her hair, ruining the somewhat neat way it had managed to stay styled. "You are a brat."

Kyoko looked at him and stuck out her tongue. "Maybe I am." She told him with a laugh.

And the sheriff smiled, because it felt good to hear her laugh again after what had been such a disastrous night.

The next morning found Kyoko helping out at Hikaru's shop. Currently, she was sweeping the floor, albeit a bit distracted. For her mind was currently filled with the memory of her kiss with Ren. She felt her face grow hot as the scene played through in her mind again.

 _Stop it!_ She shook her head, _You'll only get yourself worked up and start expecting more than you should._

Just then, the door to the shop opened and Hikaru stepped inside. He had gone to make a delivery and had only just returned.

"Kyo," he called over, "Can you come help me with something?"

She swept her pile of dirt into a corner and leaned the broom against the wall before coming to his side. "What is it?" she asked curiously.

"The stagecoach just arrived with our newest deliveries, but I need help to unload the boxes." He explained.

"I'm happy to help, Sir." She answered with a smile.

Hikaru laughed and lead the way out to where the stagecoach had just arrived in front of the mayor's office/post office. The driver had climbed out of his seat and was unlatching the luggage and pulling down some boxes from the top of the coach.

Kyoko followed Hikaru to the back, but just as they passed the door to the stagecoach it opened and a young woman who seemed to be around Kyoko's age climbed out. She was wearing an expensive looking traveling dress and fine boots.

As she climbed out, a strong gust of wind blew her hat off of her head.

"My new hat!" she cried out.

Without thinking, Kyoko sprinted after it and caught it. She quickly returned it to her with a bow.

"Here you go, Miss." She offered.

The girl took it and brushed it off before placing it back on her head. "Thank you, young man."

Kyoko nodded and returned to Hikaru's side. She was just starting to pick up one of their crates when she heard a familiar voice.

"You shouldn't thank poor people, Mimori. You are above them now."

Kyoko let go of the box and spun around. There, having just exited the carriage, stood the one person she hoped might never walk into her life again.

"Sho," she breathed out the name but her voice was lost in the wind.

The blond haired boy looked her way and their eyes met. He sighed and gave a look at Mimori.

"See, now he expects some kind of compensation." He reached into a pouch he was carrying and pulled out some coins. When Kyoko didn't offer her hand he grabbed it and dropped the coins in. "There you go. Happy now?" He muttered, before turning away.

 _Does he really not recognize me?_ Kyoko could feel her head spinning. _How could he not? We've spent our whole lives together and yet, now that I've dyed my hair and changed the way I dress, he doesn't even give a second glance?_

Of course, it would've been bad if she had been recognized, but at this moment, Kyoko was only overwhelmed by the realization of just how little she meant to Shotaro Fuwa.

Inside of her hotel, Kanae stood behind the bar making drinks. She passed a drink to a nearby customer, then looked up as a young couple came in through the door. The young man was blond with wildly styled hair and a haughty personality. Meanwhile the girl, who's long black hair was pinned up fashionably, seemed a little too excited with her innocent eyes.

"How can I help you?" she asked, attempting to sound friendly.

"We need a room." Sho said, placing a handful of money on the counter.

Kanae eyed them warily. "Are you two married?" she asked.

The girl giggled, but Sho just rolled his eyes. "I don't think that's any of your business. Here's the money, just make the reservation."

Kanae glared at him. "Fine." She muttered taking the money. "What's the name?" she was grateful to be staring down at her reservations book and not looking up when he replied.

"Fuwa, Shotaro."

It was a name she had only heard once, but it wasn't a common name. And as she led him up his room which was on the floor above Kyoko's, she had no doubt that this arrogant brat, must be the one who had framed Kyoko.

* * *

 **A/N: Duhn duhn DUHN! And the one thing we all new would have to happen eventually, has happened. Lol! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. And of course, it was the most fun to write the fluffy Ren/Kyoko scenes. Lol. :) see you next week!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Here's chapter 13! Please enjoy. This took a lot of planning :)**

* * *

Chapter 13: Discovery

The next morning after the dance, Ren Tsuruga found it hard to keep a smile off his face. He, completely unaware of the other events of the morning, decided once his morning duties were finished to go see Kyoko.

"I'll be back," he told his deputy, as he placed his hat atop his head and exited the sheriff's station. He began his walk to the General Store where he knew she was supposed to be helping Hikaru that morning. He stepped inside the building, as a small bell above the door rang, announcing his presence.

"Ren, good morning." Hikaru greeted from behind the counter. "What brings you in this morning?"

Ren glanced around noticing that Kyoko was nowhere to be seen. "Is Kyo not here today?" he asked, trying to keep the concern out of his voice.

Hikaru raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Kyo left about an hour ago. He said he forgot he had promised to help with something at the sheriff's station."

Ren hid his confusion well, not wanting to reveal Kyoko's lie. "Oh, right. We probably missed each other. Since I was out making my rounds." He lied.

Hikaru nodded. Unsure why something felt off about the sheriff's response.

Then there was a loud crash that made both of them look towards the sound. There standing near a pile of trinkets and clothing that had fallen to the ground, stood the beautiful young visitor who had just arrived in their town.

"I'm sorry," she exclaimed. "I was carrying too many things I guess."

Hikaru and Ren both moved to help her. They quickly placed her many items on the counter. "Are you buying all of this?" Hikaru asked in disbelief.

Mimori nodded. "I'll only be in town a few days so I thought I should shop first."

Ren smiled at her kindly, "I had heard from my deputy that we had some visitors in town. I'm Sheriff Ren. Please let me know if I can help you with anything while you're here." He tipped his hat before turning to leave the shop.

"Sheriff?"

He turned back at the girl's sudden call. "Yes?"

She smiled at him sweetly. "Do you think you could help me carry these things back to the hotel? I'd hate to drop any of this outside."

Ren wanted to refuse. He wanted to ignore her request and go find Kyoko, but he knew their town got few enough visitors as it was. _I guess I need them to have a good impression of us._ He nodded and helped her by picking up the large crate that Hikaru had placed her items in.

"Let's go then."

As they walked, Mimori watched Ren. Sure, she was in love with Sho but that didn't stop her from admiring the tall dark-haired Sheriff.

"So what brings you to our little town?" Ren asked.

"Actually, my fiancé just thought it looked like a good place to stop before continuing on to Settersville." She explained, referring to the large city that was a few hundred miles from their town. "We'd been traveling for four days already when we stopped here."

Ren nodded, "It'll take another couple of days to get there, so that was a smart decision. Are you two moving there?"

Mimori blushed, "We are. He said we'll get married once we arrive."

Ren's mind wandered and he found himself picturing Kyoko in a wedding dress.

"Mimori!" An annoying voice shouted, disturbing the sheriff's daydream.

He looked up to see an irritated looking blond marching toward them.

"Sho! Look what I bought." Mimori exclaimed happily, oblivious to his bad mood.

The name struck a memory in Ren's mind.

"I told you to stay put in the hotel." Sho scolded.

Mimori stuck out her lip in a pout. "But it's boring. I just wanted to do a little shopping."

Sho rolled his eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you. Right now, we are limited to the money on hand. Stop spending it all on useless junk." He then turned and noticed Ren for the first time. He glanced at Mimori. "And will you stop convincing men to help you with things. Then they expect payment."

Ren handed the box to Sho suddenly. He was a hundred percent certain of this man's identity and hated him for it. "Hello, I'm Ren, the sheriff. And I was more than happy to assist your charming bride with her purchases. Welcome to Haven."

Sho shot a glare at Mimori. "Stop telling people we are getting married." He hissed.

"But you said we were-"

Ren interrupted Mimori's response with a question. "How long will you be in town?" he asked.

Sho didn't want to answer the question but felt he might be more suspicious if it was evaded. _The last thing I need is a suspicious sheriff on my tail._ "We'll be here a week. Then we're leavin'."

"Well, enjoy your stay." Ren said with a wave before strolling away to the sheriff's station. Behind him, he could hear the young couple arguing, but right now the only thing he cared about was finding Kyoko.

When Ren arrived back at the sheriff's station, he entered, desperately hoping that Kyoko would be waiting inside. To his disappointment, he only found his deputy.

"Dammit," he cursed.

Yukihito looked up, concerned. "What happened?"

Ren turned to leave. "If Kyoko shows up here, make sure she stays until I get back. I have one more place to check." He said before heading back out the door.

He hurriedly hopped onto his horse and began a steady gallop towards the last place he could think of.

 _She wouldn't leave without talking to me, would she?_ He wondered as he rode.

" _If you ever leave town without my permission, I will jump straight on my horse and track you down before you can find anywhere to hide."_

"She agreed to that. So she better not have run off." He muttered as he neared his destination.

* * *

Kyoko looked up at the sound of a horse's gallop. She rose from her place on Ren's front porch and moved closer to her horse, Pegasus, preparing to jump onto his back and ride if it was an enemy.

 _Maybe Sho has already told everyone in town. Maybe they'll come and arrest me now._ She thought, her mind running wild with the worst possibilities.

When Ren came into view her whole body reflexively relaxed. He was safe, wasn't he? He still believed her, right?

Ren stopped his horse in front of the house and climbed off. "Kyoko, thank God." He muttered when he had approached her. He placed his hands on her shoulders. "I was worried you had run off completely." He gave her a small smile. "But you're still here, which means you trust me."

Kyoko looked down. _That is what it means, doesn't it? But then I guess that's also because I love him._ She closed her eyes, struggling to hold back the tears that wanted to burst forth.

"Does he know who you are yet?"

Kyoko looked up at the question. To anyone else it would sound vague but to her it made complete sense. She shook her head. "I don't think so. At least, he didn't seem to recognize me this morning."

"Well, that's good at least." Ren glanced back at his horse who was still waiting nearby. "Let's tie them here, and then head inside to talk."

Kyoko nodded, and they soon found themselves sitting back at the kitchen table. The same kitchen table where not too long ago, Ren had first discovered her secret.

Ren watched Kyoko, unsure of what to say to comfort her in this situation. Before he could decide though, she clenched her fists and looked at him with eyes full of determination.

"I already know what I need to do." She told him.

He raised an eyebrow. "And what's that?"

"I need to leave." She tried to keep her voice steady but even she could hear it wavering. "If I leave now, he won't find out and I won't cause anyone here more problems."

He opened his mouth to speak but she continued.

"I really thought I was going to be able to stay here forever." She whispered, and as she looked down, Ren could see that she was trembling. "I guess it was really stupid to think I could just live here pretending to be a man and hope someday everyone would forget about me. I had even given up on trying to clear my name."

"Stop." Ren's voice was loud and firm. It startled even him.

Kyoko looked up feeling confused.

"Stop giving up." He continued. "I may not have known you that long yet, but I know you aren't the type of person to just give up when things become difficult. If you were, you never would've run in the first place. And you never would've come here." He paused, lowering his voice. "And if you were the kind of person to just give up, I never would've agreed to help you."

Kyoko felt her heart beat faster. She nodded, feeling her strength return. "You're right. I can't just give up. I still have the advantage. I know who he is and he doesn't know I'm even here." She smiled, "Now I just need to find a way to prove it was him that stole the Princess Rosa Diamond."

"I'm willing to help in any way I can." Ren told her. "And I'm sure Kanae and Yukihito would be willing too."

Kyoko felt relieved. It felt good to know that she had allies to help her. "First thing is, I need to find out if he still has the diamond. If he does then that'll be proof enough." She looked thoughtful. "But how can I make sure he or his girlfriend won't come in while I'm searching his room?"

"I can take care of that." Ren said with a smirk. "And I'll let Yukihito and Kanae know what we need them to do. I think it'll work perfectly if we try during dinner."

"But, I cook during dinner." Kyoko looked at him in confusion.

"Exactly. So there's no way that you could be searching someone's room."

"Do you think it'll work?" she asked.

Ren took hold of one of her hands, startling her. "If it doesn't, you still have a lot of people who believe in you. No one here is going to let you be arrested."

"Thank you." She whispered, for once feeling confident that maybe, just maybe, they could win this.

* * *

That evening, their plan went into action. It started with Kanae conveniently seating Sho and Mimori next to the Sheriff and Deputy.

"Look, Sho, it's the sheriff from earlier." Mimori pointed out.

Sho glared down at the menu he was holding. "Great." He muttered.

Yukihito gave Ren a wink before turning towards the young couple. "Good evening, Miss. I'm Yukihito, the deputy. I don't believe we've met yet."

She gave a smile, "I'm Mimori, and this is Sho."

Sho looked up only long enough to glare at his girlfriend, before returning his eyes to the menu.

 _I hope this'll work._ The deputy found himself thinking.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kyoko had made her way up to the third floor. Kanae had been more than happy to provide her with the duplicate key for Sho's room, and was looking forward to seeing his face when he was found out.

Kyoko opened the door and stepped cautiously into the room. She glanced around making sure that neither of its occupants had wandered back up.

The room was silent. There was a large trunk at the foot of the bed as well as a smaller travelling bag near the wardrobe. She tried to decide where to start.

"The trunk most likely belongs to the girl, since she seems fashionable." Kyoko mused aloud. "So, let's start with the bag. That must be his." She moved across the room and picked up the leather bag. She then poured it's contents out onto the bed.

Kyoko was surprised that the thought of Sho sharing a bed with another woman hurt so little. She just assumed it was a sign of how much she had moved on from loving him, and although she didn't want to admit it, a sign of how much she now felt towards Ren.

* * *

Downstairs, Ren was grateful for his deputy's friendliness. This allowed him to sit back and observe Sho while Yukihito chatted with Mimori.

"Have you been on a tour of the town yet?" Yukihito asked.

Mimori shook her head. "No, Sho would rather I just stay in our room. But I would like to see it."

"I'd be happy to give the two of you a formal tour after dinner if you'd like." He offered.

Mimori looked uncertainly at Sho. But before the young man could object, Ren spoke up.

"Yukihito gives all of the official town tours here in Haven. He really knows a good deal about our town." Ren encouraged.

Mimori's excitement reflected in her eyes as she accepted their offer. "We'd love to go on a tour!"

Sho looked unhappy, but didn't object. Ren could only assume he didn't want to let Mimori go by herself, and was grateful that the plan was going well.

* * *

By the time Kyoko had finished searching the bag, trunk, and wardrobe, she had come to the disappointing conclusion that Sho no longer had the diamond in his possession.

She sighed as she sat on the bed. "Of course he'd get rid of it." She muttered. "He's not a complete idiot who would hang onto it." She tried to fight off the defeated feeling that was threatening to swallow her. _Now how will I prove my innocence?_

But no sooner had the thought formed, than she heard the sound of a key in the lock of the door. In one swift motion, Kyoko jumped up from the bed and threw herself inside the wardrobe.

The door opened and she could hear the sound of footsteps and a young woman's giggling.

"Sho, stop," came the woman's teasing voice. "That tickles." She muttered with a laugh.

"See, isn't this better than a stupid tour?" he told her.

"Yeah, I'm glad we gave that deputy the slip."

There was the sound of the bed and Kyoko instantly felt an urge to be sick. _Please, don't let them do this right now._ She thought.

But then the sound stopped.

"What's wrong, Sho?" Mimori asked, sounding disappointed.

"Hush, nothing." He lied. "Go downstairs and get me a drink." He ordered.

"But I thought-"

"Mimori, now."

There was again the sound of footsteps and then the sound of a closing door. Kyoko let out a sigh of relief. _Now I just need that idiot to leave too._ She thought.

Just then, she heard his voice, and felt a cold chill run down her spine.

"I know you're in here."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Discovery

Ren paced back and forth in front of the building. He had sent Yukihito on ahead with Sho and Mimori for their unexpected town tour.

The plan had been for the deputy to distract them long enough for Kyoko to search Sho's room for any proof that he had stolen the Princess Rosa diamond. Ren was to stand guard out front of the restaurant while Kanae kept things running smoothly inside to provide the excuse that Kyoko had been in the kitchen the whole time.

So far everything seemed to be going smoothly. At least, that's what the sheriff thought until he saw Yukihito hurrying towards him. Alone.

The older man doubled over trying to catch his breath.

"Where's Sho?" Ren demanded.

Yukihito shook his head. "I… don't…know…" He gasped out. "Lost… them…"

Ren turned and entered the restaurant. He made eye contact with Kanae and the three of them met in the kitchen.

"Don't tell me you lost them?" Kanae groaned as she observed the deputy who was still recovering from his run.

"I was out front keeping watch but I never saw them." Ren offered. "Has Kyoko come down yet?"

Kanae shook her head. "She hasn't. And if we don't know where they are, they could show up at any moment."

* * *

"I know you're in here."

At the sound of this familiar voice, a cold chill ran down Kyoko's spine. She could only hope that her hiding spot was a good enough one to keep her presence a secret. She shifted her feet, trying to prepare herself for a speedy escape should it be needed. But as her foot shifted against the base of the wardrobe, there was a creaking sound that made her wish she could disappear.

 _Please don't find me. Please just go,_ she chanted internally.

The room outside was quiet and for one short moment, Kyoko thought she might be safe. But in the next moment the wardrobe doors were flung open and an angry Shotaro Fuwa was staring down at her.

"I knew someone was in here!" he exclaimed. He grabbed her arm and yanked her out of the wardrobe roughly, flinging her to the floor. "What? So you thought you'd sneak into our room and steal from me after begging for money this morning? Was that not enough?"

Kyoko's mind was jumbled. She didn't know what to say to defend herself. How to keep him from discovering her true intentions and identity. She shook her head, trying to avoid meeting his eyes. "No, no really. I wasn't stealing anything." She lowered her voice in an attempt to conceal her identity.

"Then what were you doing in here?" he spat.

"I lost something earlier, when I was cleaning this room." She hurriedly answered.

Sho was silent for a moment. "So you simply lost something?" He asked suspiciously.

Kyoko nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! My pocket watch." She lied.

The young man crouched in front of her, an unsettling glint in his eye. "Then why don't I help you find it?"

Kyoko met his eyes and immediately regretted it. In that moment she felt fear run through her. She jumped up from the floor nearly knocking Sho over in the process. "I just remembered I left it in the kitchen. If you'll excuse me!" she cried, fleeing from the room.

As she flew down the back staircase, she bit back the tears that were threatening to fall. Not only had she not found any evidence to help clear her name; she had also been caught and harassed by the one person she'd hoped to avoid any close contact with.

* * *

Back in the kitchen, the trio argued over what needed to be done. Ren shook his head, his frustration overwhelming him. "I'm going up to get her. If they've come back she may need help." But just as he took his first step towards the stairs, the backdoor to the kitchen flew open and a pale Kyoko emerged.

She was breathing hard, similar to Yukihito's erratic breathing. Kanae hurried to her side and had her sit down. "Are you okay?" she asked. "Did they find you?"

Kyoko took a deep shaky breath, then she nodded. "Yes, I'm okay." She replied. "And yes, they found me."

"What happened?" Ren demanded with unnecessary force.

Kyoko looked startled but knew she needed to explain. She took a deep breath before continuing. "I was searching the room and Sho returned with his friend. So I hid inside the wardrobe in their room. I thought that everything would be fine until he sent her away. Then my foot slipped and he found me hiding. He pulled me out and threw me on the floor."

Ren clenched his fists. He hated the idea that that boy had touched Kyoko.

"Does he know?" Kanae's voice broke in.

Kyoko shook her head. "I don't think so. He accused me of stealing from him. So I don't think he realized who I am."

They all let out a relieved breath. That was the most important thing.

"Although, it turns out it was all pointless. He doesn't have the diamond with him anymore. I checked the whole room. So we're back to the beginning." Kyoko said, sighing. Everyone watched her for a moment. Realizing this, Kyoko forced a smile. "But never mind that. I'm sure we'll figure something out. In the mean time," she rolled up her sleeves, "I should help clean up this kitchen."

Kanae shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I'll take care of it. You've been through a lot tonight."

Kyoko opened her mouth to argue but was quieted by Ren grabbing her hand. "Let's go for a walk." He told her seriously.

Kyoko swallowed, feeling nervous again, though this time for a completely different reason. She nodded and followed him out of the restaurant.

Once they reached the sheriff's station, Ren undid his horse's restraints.

"Where are we going?" Kyoko asked.

Ren smiled gently at her. "That's a surprise." He whispered. He helped her onto his horse after him and began a calm pace away from town.

After a short time, Kyoko realized they were heading towards Ren house. But they passed by the cabin without stopping, leaving her more curious then before.

She was about to ask him about their destination again when they passed through some trees into a clearing. She gasped as she took in the scene before her.

A wall of trees surrounded a clearing of beautiful grass and wildflowers. A small river flowed through the center allowing the surrounding greenery to flourish, and the setting sun accented the whole area by bathing it in a warm pink glow.

Ren climbed off his horse and helped Kyoko down next to him. She looked around in awe and he couldn't keep a smile from appearing on his face.

"What is this place?" Kyoko breathed out.

"I'm not really sure." He answered with a shrug. "It doesn't have a name. Heck, I don't even think anyone else really knows about it. But it's a nice place to come and think." He strolled across the clearing to a large rock that was near the river's edge.

Kyoko followed close behind, now admiring the man who had brought her to this magical place. She paused as Ren took a seat on the rock.

"What is it?" he asked, watching her with interest.

"This place… it just seems like the type of place he would've loved." She spoke softly and for a moment, Ren wondered if she meant Sho.

She looked at him excitedly, "Don't you think this seems like the kind of place an angel could be happy?"

Relief washed over Ren as he understood her comment now. He gave a small smile. "Yes, it really does."

Kyoko dropped down next to him. "This place really is beautiful." She said softly. "But I still don't know what I'm going to do."

Ren resisted the urge to hug her. He wanted to hold her and tell her everything would be fine. That he would find a way to take care of it, but right now that would be an empty promise.

"What options do we have?" he asked.

Kyoko pushed at the dirt with her shoes. "I don't know anymore. He didn't have the diamond and that was what I was counting on to prove my innocence."

"What if we could get him to confess?" he offered the new idea that had suddenly popped into his mind.

Kyoko stared at him and he half expected her to say it would never work. But then she smiled.

"It could work." She said quietly. Then she nodded. "This could work. He's so prideful he might actually gloat about his theft if we can trick him." She threw her arms around Ren in a sudden burst of gratefulness at his idea.

Startled, Ren did his best to hide his surprise at her sudden affection. But the moment he relaxed and allowed himself to respond by holding her, she stiffened.

Kyoko leaned back slightly, her face bright red. She tried to move away without looking at him but Ren didn't let go.

"Kyoko," he murmured.

Her eyes shot up to meet his at the sound of her name.

"I'll do everything I can to help clear your name."

Kyoko felt her heart skip but she just nodded as he finally released her.

* * *

The ride back to the inn was quiet. Both of them feeling shy after their encounter in the forest. They dismounted outside of the building and Ren wished her a good night. He turned to leave when she called out to him.

"Sheriff?"

He stepped back towards her, "Yes?"

"Thank you." She smiled up at him sweetly. "I could never thank you enough for all of your help."

His heart melted as he looked into her eyes and before he could stop himself, Ren found himself reaching out to touch her.

* * *

Back inside the inn, Shotaro leaned onto the window sill in his room as he smoked a cigarette. He wasn't ready to go to sleep, especially considering how strange the evening had been. Mimori had tried to tempt him to bed but for once he hadn't been interested.

 _It didn't take long for her to give up and fall asleep though,_ he mused silently.

The evening had been strange for many reasons and has left Sho feeling uneasy.

 _First that damn sheriff acting suspicious of me. Then that stupid boy trying to steal from me._ He chuckled, "As if I'd leave my valuables in my room."

Behind him he heard Mimori stir in her sleep. He stubbed out his cigarette and was about to give in to attempting sleep when he spotted something of interest out his window.

The sheriff was riding his horse back to the inn. But he wasn't alone.

 _Wouldn't two men typically ride on separate horses?_ He thought, a bit disturbed by the unusual sight of the sheriff helping the younger man down from the horse.

"They seem strangely close. And, if I didn't know any better, I'd say there was something familiar about that boy." He muttered as he watched them talk.

The sheriff began to walk away but then stopped and returned to the thief's side. He reached out a hand and gently stroked the younger's hair before tracing a finger down the side of his face.

Sho watched in disgust at the display of affection but then he noticed something. The way Kyo's face turned red as he said something, clearly flustered.

He remembered the way Kyo had reacted earlier, when he'd caught him snooping in his room. But there was something strangely familiar…

Sho's eyes widened as his mind made the connection. He'd seen that reaction before. The flustered voice from earlier rang through his mind. Followed by a memory of a time when a certain young girl had broken a plate out of nervousness and stumbled through an apology.

He glared down at the figures below in the darkness.

"Kyoko."

 _So you've been hiding out here, huh? Well, I'm sorry to say your little charade won't last much longer._ A wicked grin spread across his face as he watched the sheriff ride away. _And I think I've found your weakness._

* * *

 **A/N: First, let me say a huge Thank You! To all of my patient and faithful readers! I've been going through a lot lately but I'm back at it and hoping I can write this story out and share it with you until it is completed. Please check out my profile if you have any interest in hearing some new developments in my life. Otherwise, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter, I'll be back soon with the next one. -marauderluverz**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Threatened

The following morning when Kyoko arrived at the general store for her morning shift, she had a brand new spring in her step. Hikaru smiled as he watched his employee working cheerfully.

Kyoko looked up, feeling him watching her. "What is it?" she asked, "Did I do something wrong?"

Hikaru laughed, "No, it's just… you've seemed down the last couple of days. It's nice to see you're feeling better."

She felt a blush creep up her cheeks at his words and what they meant. Somehow, spending that little bit of time with Ren the previous night had been a cure for her recent hopelessness. _Probably because you two almost kissed,_ teased a voice in her head.

"Be quiet." She murmured to the voice as her face turned a darker shade of red.

"Kyo?" Hikaru called over.

She looked up startled, "Yes?"

"I asked if you can watch the store for a moment. I need to take this medicine over to the doctor's office. He's been expecting it."

Kyoko nodded. "Yes! Of course."

She continued her duties, which at the moment involved sweeping the store. Behind her, she heard the door swing shut again. She turned around, "Forget something, Hikaru?" she asked with a smile.

But her smile disappeared when she saw who had entered the shop.

"Sorry, did I startle you?" Sho asked from the doorway.

Kyoko struggled to maintain her composure. _Keep calm. If you freak out now you'll blow your cover._ She scolded herself.

"I was just distracted. Can I help you with anything?" she offered. _Maybe if I can get him out of here quickly enough, I can manage to keep my secret._

Sho watched her calmly. "No, I'm fine. Just wanted to take a look around." He stepped further into the store and began to peruse some of the items on a nearby shelf.

Kyoko struggled to go back to sweeping normally, but her proximity to Sho made her nervous.

"You don't have to worry, you know." He said suddenly, smiling to himself. "I'll keep it our little secret."

Her breath caught in her throat. Had she been discovered? Would she have to run? "S-secret?" she asked.

"Yeah, about you snooping through my room." His voice sounded pleasant but there was a coldness lurking beneath that made her wary.

"Thanks."

She relaxed her breathing and moved behind the counter to lean the broom against the wall. _The sooner he leaves, the better._ She told herself.

Kyoko tried to make herself look busy as Sho moved about the shop. Finally, he approached the counter with an object in his hands.

"How much is this?" he asked holding it out to her.

Kyoko's eyes widened. In Sho's hand was a beautiful perfume bottle that she had seen only once before in a shop window back in her hometown. It was shaped like a swan and she had loved it from the moment she had seen it.

Sho watched as her eyes lit up. "I couldn't find the name of it. Do you know what it's called?"

Before her mind could calculate the true meaning behind his words, before she could recognize the danger of answering him, the words escaped her mouth – at the same time being spoken by him.

"Odette."

Sho's free hand grasped hers as the word left her mouth. "Gotcha." He said with a smirk. He leaned towards her over the counter, gripping her wrist tightly. "Did you really think you could trick me?" he taunted.

Kyoko wrenched her hand away from him. "I don't know what you're talking about!" she argued.

"The only person I've met who called this by that name was Kyoko." He explained. "Not that I needed this to tell me the truth. I figured it out after seeing you with that sheriff last night by the hotel."

Kyoko felt her face heat up. But this time it wasn't from embarrassment, but from anger. Anger that Sho had been watching during a special private moment between her and Ren.

She opened her mouth to tell him off, but before the words could leave her lips, the door opened and in stepped Hikaru. "Thanks for watching the shop-" his sentence trailed off as he took in the heated scene before him.

"Is everything all right?" he asked cautiously.

"Everything's fine." Sho answered. "Just purchasing a gift for my lovely companion." He shot a smug look at Kyoko as he laid some money on the counter. "See you around." He muttered before taking his purchase and exiting the shop.

Kyoko could feel her heart beating fast as anger and fear bubbled up inside her. Her head spun and she swayed before sinking to the ground.

"Kyo! Kyo?" Hikaru's voice sounded far away as he grasped her arm and led her to a chair. "Are you okay? Should I get the doctor?"

At the word doctor, Kyoko became suddenly aware. If a doctor examined her there would be one more person who knew the truth. "No!" She shouted.

At the startled look on Hikaru's face, she spoke more quietly. "Sorry. No, I'm fine."

Hikaru watched her uncertainly. "Maybe I should at least get Ren…" he muttered.

Kyoko grabbed his hand, stopping him from stepping away. He looked back at her and his heart skipped at the warmth of her hand.

"Please, don't tell the sheriff. I wouldn't want him to worry." She pleaded.

He nodded, "Okay, but if you start feeling ill again…" he allowed his sentence to trail off, uncertain if he should complete it.

Kyoko nodded, "If I start feeling ill again, I'll go talk to him myself. I promise."

"And, Kyo," Hikaru spoke softly, "If that guy comes back in I'll take care of it. I don't like the way he was talking to you."

After she had finished her time at the general store, Kyoko had decided to head back to her room for a short rest before dinner. Sure, she could have gone to the sheriff's station and used the time with Ren to recharge herself. But she also wasn't sure she could act normal around him right now.

 _And who knows how he'd react if he found out Sho knows. Let alone that Sho nearly attacked me._

She turned her key in the lock of her door numbly and entered what had become her temporary home. But the sight she was greeted with sent a chill deep into her core.

"Hey Kyoko," Sho greeted her. He tossed a blue stone in the air and caught it again. "So you still carry this around with you?" he asked. "I thought you'd have outgrown that by now."

Kyoko lunged forward impulsively, grabbing for her treasure that she had left behind that morning in her dreamlike state. "Don't you touch it!" she yelled.

Sho held it up in the air just beyond her reach. "Nah ah ah," he tutted. "I don't think you deserve to have this back just yet."

Kyoko glared at him. "Just give it back and get out."

Sho laughed, "If you keep snooping around like you have been, then you'll be the one who has to get out."

She took a step back instinctively. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means," he began, as he tossed the stone back and forth between his hands, "that if you don't leave me alone, I will reveal your true identity to everyone in this town."

Kyoko clenched her fist. "And what makes you think they'll believe you?"

"It doesn't matter if they believe me." He pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and unfolded it to reveal one of her wanted posters. "I just have to get a bounty hunter here to take you in. And then it'll all be over."

"Then I could just run again." She argued back.

Sho smirked at her. "Kyoko, naïve as always. Don't you realize what will happen to your precious sheriff if people find out he was hiding a fugitive?"

At the mention of Ren, Kyoko felt fear flood veins her like ice water.

Sho took a step closer, "If people find out he's been hiding you, the best thing that'll happen is he won't ever be able to be a sheriff again… but at worst…" he made a movement of drawing his finger across his throat.

Kyoko gritted her teeth before speaking. "Fine. You win."

"I thought you'd see it my way." Sho stepped past her and tossed the blue stone over his shoulder.

Kyoko scrambled to catch it before it hit the ground.

"Oh, and Kyoko?" Sho called as he left the room. "Let's keep this our little secret, okay?"

Before she could respond he was gone. She sighed as she dropped to her knees clutching the Corn stone to her chest. She had known she was right to think love a weakness. And now that she had allowed love to enter her life again, it was being used against her.

 _Even if I will never be able to clear my name, I swear, I won't allow him to hurt you because of me, Ren._

* * *

 **A/N: So let me start by saying a huge thank you to all of my fans who have kept encouraging me to write this story. I am finally back on the writing train and you can expect an update to this story every week until it's completed. Once this is complete I plan on working hard on my HoMH series again. So thank you for not giving up on me! And ill see you next week!**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Surrender

"So, have you had any luck thinking of a way we can get Sho to confess?" Kanae asked Kyoko the next morning in the kitchen.

Kyoko stiffened at the question. "Um, not yet," she answered. Her conversation with Sho the previous evening was still far too fresh in her memory for her to tell Kanae. No matter how much she wanted to.

"Sorry, I can't talk right now." She told Kanae, handing two plates of food to her. "I don't want to burn anything."

Kanae looked at her strangely before exiting the kitchen into the dining room. She carried the plates over to the correct table which just so happened to belong to a certain sheriff and deputy.

"Good morning, Miss Kanae," Yukihito greeted her.

Kanae shot him a dirty look and set the plates down. "Morning." She muttered.

"How's Kyo doing this morning? Feeling better since last night?" Ren asked.

The previous night's dinner had not been prepared by Kyoko as she had told Kanae she wasn't feeling well, though they had all three assumed that was an excuse so she could focus on coming up with a plan.

Kanae frowned, "I'm not sure. He didn't have any new ideas to tell me about. In fact, he seemed like he didn't want to talk at all."

"Maybe he's just feeling a lot of pressure. Probably best to just give him some time." Yukihito suggested as he took a bite of his breakfast.

Ren nodded, keeping his thoughts to himself. He wondered if this was all too much for Kyoko, as his deputy had suggested. _Maybe I should be doing more to help her,_ he wondered.

Once he had finished eating, Ren rose from his seat. "You go on ahead, Yukihito. I want to check in with Kyo."

The deputy nodded and headed out of the building. Ren walked across the dining room, and entered the kitchen through its swinging door. He spotted Kyoko immediately, standing in front of the large sink washing some dishes.

"Would you like some help?" he offered.

Kyoko jumped at the sound of his voice. "Sheriff," she said, turning around. "I wasn't expecting you."

He smiled, amused at her reaction. "Sorry I startled you."

She shook her head, hoping her face hadn't turned too red. "No, it's fine. And thank you for the offer, but I can handle it. Besides, you probably have a lot of work to do."

Kyoko turned back to the dishes, hoping the conversation would end there. Instead, Ren took a step closer.

"Are you sure? We could talk if you want any help figuring out a plan."

"I'd actually just like the quiet for now. I'll be sure to come find you if I need any help." She answered without turning around and Ren decided to honor her wishes.

"Very well then. You know where to find me if I'm needed." He tipped his hat to her before exiting the kitchen. But as he walked to the sheriff's station a part of him still felt something wasn't quite right.

The next day as Ren sat behind his desk, he felt more worried than he had the previous day. "Yukihito?" he spoke suddenly, interrupting his deputy's story that he had forgotten to listen to.

"What is it, Ren?" Yashiro replied concerned at the sheriff's tone.

"Does it seem as though Kyoko is avoiding me?"

"Oh, well I'm sure she's not-" he paused a moment. "Actually, she did make sure to stop by here only when you had already left to visit the mayor. And then she used that time to say she couldn't come in that day or today to help us. But, that doesn't necessarily mean she's avoiding you."

Ren sighed, "When I stopped by the general store to try and talk to her this morning, she told Hikaru she had forgotten that Kanae had needed help with something and ran off, but when I stopped by the restaurant a little bit later Kanae said she hadn't talked to her since breakfast."

"Maybe she just needs some space?" Yukihito suggested.

Ren shrugged. "I'm going to go for a ride." He placed his hat on his head and marched out of the office.

Once on his horse, he found that he naturally rode toward his thinking spot. _Maybe she's avoiding me because of what happened the other night. When I almost kissed her._ He mentally kicked himself. He had known he needed to take things slow with her.

"And now I've probably scared her off for good."

Just as Ren rode into the secluded forest area, fully convinced he'd screwed everything up with Kyoko, he found himself in the young outlaw's company.

Kyoko jumped up off of a nearby rock at the sheriff's sudden arrival. She had hoped he'd be busy in town for the day and that she could hide out here. She watched as Ren swung himself down from his horse.

"I'm sorry. I was just leaving," She muttered as she headed for where her horse was tied nearby.

Ren grabbed her arm, stopping her. "Please, Kyoko. Whatever I did that upset you, please forgive me."

His words caused her to spin around. "You think you did something wrong?" She asked incredulously.

"Aren't you mad at me?"

Kyoko shook her head wildly. "No, never. I mean, I could never be mad at you after everything you've done to help me."

It felt as if a weight had lifted off Ren's shoulders. "But, if you aren't mad, then why have you been avoiding me?"

She sighed. Now came the tricky part- telling Ren about what had happened.

"Because I didn't know how to tell you."

Her voice was quiet, almost as if she were scared of his reaction.

"How to tell me what?"

But she wasn't allowed to tell. _Let's keep this our little secret, okay?_ That was what Sho had said.

Kyoko took a deep breath before looking directly at Ren. "I didn't know how to tell you that I've changed my mind about getting Sho to confess."

The sheriff raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Do you think there's a better way to clear your name?"

She shook her head. "No, I've given up on clearing my name. As long as I keep a low profile until he leaves, I'll be fine to continue living here in town as Kyo."

"You can't just give up-"

"Don't!" Kyoko shocked herself with her outburst. "Please, just don't. Don't try to change my mind. I've decided already."

Ren might've argued or tried to convince her it could be done, but once he saw the beginning of tears in her amber eyes, he found he couldn't. The decision was hard enough for her. And if for whatever reason she had decided this couldn't be fixed, that was up to her.

By the time Ren arrived back in town, he was feeling nearly as hopeless as Kyoko and twice as confused as he had been before their talk. So when he arrived at the station to be told by his deputy that he had a package that had arrived at the general store, he decided to head over to pick it up. He wouldn't be able to work today anyway.

Upon entering the general store, Hikaru greeted the sheriff pleasantly.

"Good day, Sheriff."

Ren faked a smile. "Good day, Hikaru. My deputy mentioned you found a package for me?"

Hikaru nodded. "Yep! I found it among the other things from our last delivery. Just let me go get it."

As Hikaru stepped through a door into the supply room, Ren flipped through a goods catalogue on the counter. He found a page with various dress patterns and found himself trying to decide which would be best for Kyoko. But when he turned the page a whole different type of dress came to mind as there were several listings for rings.

"Are you planning on getting married, Sheriff?" came a voice from behind him.

He turned and saw that Sho had entered the store. He inwardly grumbled at the intrusive presence but outwardly laughed.

"Not any time soon. But maybe if I found the right woman," he answered with a fake smile.

Sho nodded, "Of course, it is tricky finding the perfect woman. One who will listen and obey your every command." He laughed and Ren felt his anger rising.

 _Stay in control, Ren. You cannot punch him._

Sho didn't wait for an answer before continuing, "I used to have a girl like that. Funny enough, after all this time it turns out I still have that same control over her."

And that was when Ren saw it. That gleam in a person's eye when they are a part of an inside joke. When they have a secret… or when they know yours.

* * *

 **A/N: Hi again! So I managed to keep my promise for another chapter! Thank you so much for reading! See you with chapter 17 in a week.**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Hope

Kyoko jumped up from her bed at a knock on her door. Dinner had finished sometime ago and she had been trying to relax in her room without freaking out over her current situation. Give up on clearing her name and let Sho go free or fight for her freedom and continue trying to outsmart him. Except, the latter plan would risk the sheriff's career.

She hurried to her door and flung it open, prepared to shout at Sho if he had decided to harass her again.

"What do you want this time?"

The words were out of her mouth before she could comprehend that Sho was not the man standing on the other side of her door.

It was Ren.

"Sorry?" he asked, startled by her irritated tone.

Kyoko clapped her hands over her mouth.

"Sheriff, I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting you." She took a step back allowing him entrance into the room.

"I figured that much." He answered dryly. He closed the door behind him and glanced around her room casually.

Kyoko watched him nervously. "Did you need something, Sheriff?"

Ren turned his attention to her, his green eyes meeting her amber ones. He contemplated how to breach the topic. "Are you sure you want to give up so easily on proving your innocence?"

She took a step back, lowering her gaze to the floor. "I already told you, it's just no use. We shouldn't bother."

He took a step closer. "Did he threaten you?"

Kyoko's eyes shot up to his. "How did you-?"

"I ran into him at the general store earlier and he felt the need to make some unwise comments. That alone told me he must know who you are. Combine that with your sudden decision to give up and all I could figure was that he threatened you." He placed his hands on her shoulders.

"You don't have to worry, Kyoko. I swear I will protect you from him."

Tears began to fill Kyoko's eyes and she turned away from Ren. "If it was about protecting me it would be simple," she whispered.

"Then who do we need to protect?"

Kyoko sighed. "You."

Her voice was quiet and Ren wasn't sure he had heard her correctly. "Me?"

She spun back around towards him. "Yes!" she cried. "He threatened you. And we both know I can't protect you. I'm useless. The best thing to do is just give up."

"How did he threaten me?" Ren asked calmly. He could see that Kyoko was panicking and did his best to hide the anger he was feeling toward Sho.

"He said that once people found out about you hiding me, you would lose your job as sheriff. Or worse."

Ren stepped forward and pulled the girl into an embrace. Holding her tightly, he leaned his head down to her ear. "Do not give up on account of trying to save me. I became a sheriff in order to save people. Let me save you."

"But how can we beat him?"

"I think I have an idea. Tell Kanae to meet us at my office tomorrow morning and we'll talk about it." He stepped back, releasing his hold on her. "Try and get some rest tonight and please, try not to give up hope."

When Kyoko awoke the next morning, she was surprised to find that she felt well rested.

Despite the horrible things that had happened the day before, somehow having Ren promise everything would be okay did make a difference. She now felt sure they could still take down Sho.

After breakfast was finished, she hurried to get ready and head over to the Sheriff's office. By the time she arrived, her three comrades were already in deep conversation. She watched for a moment as Yukihito and Kanae began to argue.

"It won't work," Kanae insisted.

"We don't know that unless we try," the deputy responded.

Ren noticed Kyoko's entrance and moved away from the other two. "Glad you made it."

Kyoko gave a small smile. "What's going on with them?" She asked.

Ren smiled, "They are trying to decide if my plan will work."

"What plan?"

At Kyoko's question, the other two occupants of the room looked up.

"Kyoko, good. Now that you're here maybe you can talk some sense into these two. They think that they can convince Sho's girl to turn on him. I think they're crazy." Kanae waited expectantly for Kyoko's thoughts.

The younger girl glanced at Ren. "How do you plan on convincing her?"

"Yukihito can be quite charming sometimes," he answered.

Kyoko tried not to show her uncertainty, after all, it was one more plan than she had been able to think of.

"It just might work. I say we try it."

"Miss?"

Mimori looked up at the sound of Yashiro's voice. She had been sitting in the empty dining room of the restaurant in between breakfast and lunch hours. Yashiro noticed she had been reading some type of romance book before he had interrupted.

"Yes? Can I help you, Deputy?" Mimori asked.

He nodded, "I noticed you were by yourself and thought you might be bored. I wanted to see if you would join me for a walk through town."

The girl glanced toward the stairs. "I'm not sure. Sho wanted me to stay here…" she let her voice trail off.

"It wouldn't be very long and we wouldn't go far. I'm sure we can make it back before he comes down," Yashiro offered.

Mimori struggled for a moment before getting to her feet. "I guess you're right. I could use the fresh air anyway."

The pair stepped out into the bright sunlight and began a leisurely stroll through town.

"So, how did you meet him?" the deputy asked.

Mimori smiled, "I met Sho when he visited the town I grew up in. My father is a tailor and made a suit for him. It was love at first sight." She sighed happily, staring off into her daydreams.

"How long ago was that?" he asked.

"Oh, not long at all. Only about two months ago."

Yashiro gave a small cough. "So then, how did your father react when Sho asked to marry you?"

A small frown appeared where the smile had been. "We didn't tell my parents. Sho said they wouldn't understand. We just left one night." There was a small sadness in her voice, but the next moment it disappeared. "But I trust Sho more than anyone in this world. He would never do anything to hurt me and I care about him just as much."

"It won't work." Yashiro told them that afternoon. They were all together in the restaurant kitchen to discuss how the plan was going.

Kanae sighed. "You should've listened to me in the first place. Then we wouldn't have wasted valuable time."

Ren couldn't stop himself from shooting a glare at Kanae before turning back to his deputy. "Why won't it work? You weren't charming enough?"

"She's too devoted. She is convinced that Sho Fuwa can do no wrong." He shook his head. "We'll never be able to convince her to help us."

"Let me do it."

Ren looked at Kyoko.

"You're going to convince Mimori?" Kanae questioned, eyebrow raised.

Kyoko shook her head, "I'm going to convince Sho. I could trick him into trusting me. Or at least into giving me some valuable information."

"No," Ren said sternly. "You aren't going anywhere near him if you don't have to."

"But if our plan isn't working, what else can we do?" Kyoko replied.

"You could get hurt," Yashiro said.

"I'll be careful. I promise."

Kanae cleared her throat. "I think we should let Kyoko try. What other choice do we have?"

No further objections came from the sheriff or his deputy. Kyoko nodded. "All right then. I will go talk to him."

Kyoko waited until she saw Mimori leave the hotel before she ventured up to Sho's room. She knocked on the door and waited a moment before she heard footsteps approach the door.

"Really Mimori, if you are going out you have to take your damn key with you." He flung open the door, prepared to yell at his companion, but stopped short when he saw who it was.

"What are you doing here? I thought we'd already settled things," he growled.

"We did, but I've changed my mind," Kyoko answered.

"Changed your mind about what?" Sho asked, his anger fading as confusion took its place.

"About staying here. Let me come with you."

 **A/N: First, let me start by saying thank you for your patience. Things have been crazy but i finally got chapter 17 finished. Second, just thought id let you know that we probably only have 2-3 chapters left to this story, which makes me happy and sad lol. Third, just thought id share that tomorrow is my birthday (April 30th) and now im officially 26 yrs old.** **thanks again! i hope you enjoyed the chapter!** **See you next Saturday!**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Danger

Sho stared at Kyoko incredulously. "You want to come with me?"

She nodded, stepping past him into the room. "I think I can help you and we could split the money from the diamond. I don't care about clearing my name anymore. I just want some of the money if I'm gonna be blamed for the theft."

Sho laughed, "When have you ever cared about money? If you were gonna lie, you should've done a better job." He strutted past her and over to the window before lighting a cigarette. "Now, why are you really here?"

Kyoko closed her eyes for a moment, then sighed. "I didn't want to have to tell _you_ the truth but I guess I'll have to. The sheriff doesn't want anything to do with me anymore. It seems I was just a fling. I saw him and Kanae, the owner here, kissing." Her voice shook as she spoke.

He watched her warily, unsure what was about to happen.

"I can't stay here anymore. Not knowing about them. Please," her voice broke and a sob escaped. "Let me go with you. I don't have any other way to leave here."

"Fine. Just stop crying." Sho's discomfort turned to a smirk once Kyoko had calmed herself. "It's good to see you can now appreciate how good I've always treated you. You can come with me." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "We leave before sunrise."

* * *

The next morning, Kyoko took her satchel of things and saddled her horse before riding to the outskirts of town to meet Sho. She was nervous. If she was being honest with herself, Kyoko hadn't thought Sho would believe her so easily.

"I guess I underestimated his pride," she muttered. Kyoko looked up at the sound of horse hooves nearby.

Sho rounded the corner on a horse, one Kyoko had a feeling he had stolen. She glanced around when he stopped near her.

"Where's the girl? Mimori?"

Sho rolled his eyes. "I left Mimori back at the hotel. We can't take her with us. She's only going to slow us down."

Kyoko's eyes widened. She knew it had been easy for Sho to simply abandon her, but it was surprising to see him act the same with a woman he had been romantic with. "You left her?"

"Look, don't get all concerned about her. She's not important. Besides, I thought you'd prefer not to have another woman along." he turned his horse out toward the open prairie. "Now, are you coming or not?"

She nodded and followed behind him. _Hopefully, he's about to take me to the place where he has the Princess Rosa diamond. Otherwise, this'll all be a waste._

The pair rode for two hours before Kyoko saw some hills with small caves scattered throughout the area.

"Where are we going?" Kyoko asked, glancing around the area. She wondered how she would signal Ren if Sho went into one of those caves. There were too many and the plan was for Ren, Kanae, and Yashiro to be her back up once Sho revealed the hiding place of the diamond.

"Quiet. We'll be there in a minute. Then you'll see." He didn't look back at her. He seemed more focused on remembering directions.

They turned and she followed him up a path That twisted along the outside of one of the hills. _A hidden cave?_ She quickly fumbled with the Corn stone that rested on her pocket. She carefully pulled it out of her pocket and dropped the blue stone down the path. It rolled back towards the main road. _Please find it. Please, Ren._

* * *

Ren followed the tracks of Sho and Kyoko's horses as they had left Haven. He stuck to the plan and kept far enough back that they were out of his sight completely even though it drove him crazy to leave her alone with that man. _I hope she knows what she's doing._

He thought back to earlier that morning when he had last spoken to Kyoko.

" _Are you sure you want to do this?" he had asked. "We can always find another way."_

 _Kyoko shook her head. "I'll be fine. I already set everything into motion." She clutched the rim of her hat in front of her. "It'll all be over soon." She flashed a forced smile to comfort him._

He gave a hollow laugh. _Of course, she would try to comfort me when she's the one going into a dangerous situation._

He glanced back at the path behind him. He couldn't see Kanae and Yashiro yet but they couldn't be too far behind.

Ren had asked them to get a few more people to help in case things got out of hand. "Hopefully, this goes as simply as Kyoko thought it would."

He slowed his horse at the sight of a sparkle on the ground nearby. Climbing down from his horse, he bent and examined it. _The stone Kyoko had from when we were kids._ He glanced towards the nearly hidden path the gem was near.

"I guess this is the way I need to go then." He dropped the blue stone into his pocket before leading his horse to the new path.

* * *

A few minutes later, Sho stopped his horse near a cave opening. He quickly dismounted his horse.

"Come on," he called behind him.

Kyoko hurried after him, leaving her horse with his by the cave entrance. There was a moment of fear as she followed him where she wondered if he had simply brought her here to get rid of her. But the next moment that fear was gone when Sho slowed and his eyes searched the ground.

He crouched on the ground and began moving some rocks that were there.

"Where is it?" he muttered, then let out an exclamation as he pulled a cloth pouch out of a hole that had been covered by a rock.

"Is that it?" Kyoko asked.

Sho nodded as he stood up. "Yeah, it's in here." He opened the pouch and let out an angry sound, turning the pouch upside down. "Where the hell is it?"

"Looking for something, my love?"

They both spun around and saw a figure blocking the entrance to the cave.

"Mimori?" Sho asked in disbelief.

Kyoko stared between the two. She had known it was a bad idea for Sho to just leave her behind.

"What are you doing here, Mimori? And what did you do with my diamond?" he growled. He took a step towards his girlfriend only to stop suddenly when she pulled out a gun.

"I'd stay right there if I were you, darling." She murmured. She glanced at Kyoko then, as if she had only just noticed her.

"What are you doing here? Wait, your that boy who worked at the store." She stared at Kyoko in confusion for a moment before her eyes lit up in recognition. "She's the reason you left me, isn't she?"

Kyoko's eyes widened. How had Mimori figured out she was a girl? "How did you-?"

"I didn't realize it the first time we met because I was distracted by being in love with him. But now I'm not blinded anymore. It's obvious you're a girl." She turned back to Sho. "Now, I had planned before on just killing you, Sho."

A whimper came from Sho's direction but Kyoko kept her gaze focused on Mimori and her gun.

"But now, I guess I should take care of this tramp first. Make you watch her die. That's your punishment for betraying me." She aimed the gun at Kyoko.

And then a gunshot sounded.

And Kyoko screamed.

* * *

 **A/N: And thats chapter 18. Sorry for the delay and sorry if it feels short. I will have the finale of this story up next week. It may be one chapter and an epilogue if it gets too long. But it will all be posted next week. :) thanks for joining me on this journey!**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Welcome my lovelies to the final chapter! I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

Chapter 19: Safe at Last

Sheriff Ren Tsuruga stopped his horse as he saw the cave. He spotted three horses outside. One more than he had accounted for after seeing Sho was alone when he met Kyoko.

This wasn't good. He could already feel uneasiness filling his stomach. After leaving his horse a little way away from the cave to keep his presence unknown, he approached the cave.

Inside he could hear voices. _Mimori._

"She's the reason you left me, isn't she?"

Ren slowed as he rounded a corner. Mimori sounded upset. Almost hysterical.

"I didn't realize it the first time we met because I was distracted by being in love with him. But now I'm not blinded anymore. It's obvious you're a girl. Now, I had planned before on just killing you, Sho. But now, I guess I should take care of this tramp first. Make you watch her die. That's your punishment for betraying me."

At hearing her words, Ren moved beyond his hiding spot. Mimori came into view and he saw the gun she had pointed at Kyoko. Immediately, Ren moved to her he grabbed for the gun attempting to wrestle it away from the young woman.

In the distraction of trying to get the gun, he almost didn't hear the gun shot. But he did hear Kyoko scream.

A moment later someone had pulled Mimori away. He realized he had the gun in his hand now but then his vision began to blur.

"Ren!" Kyoko cried. She reached out in an attempt to steady him.

The next thing Ren knew he was lying on the ground. His eyes searched Kyoko trying to confirm she hadn't been hurt. But if she wasn't hurt then why was she crying?

"Deputy! Kanae! Help him."

It was at that moment that Ren realized there was a pain in his leg. _Damn it. I got shot._

He stared up at Kyoko, struggling to hang onto consciousness.

Kyoko's amber eyes met his green ones. "Don't you dare die on me. I'll never forgive you if you do."

* * *

Sunlight shone in through what Ren assumed was a window. His eyes blinked open. He tried to remember what had happened.

"Kyoko." The name left his lips in a hoarse whisper.

"Sheriff? Are you awake?"

There was movement to his left and he turned his head to see Kyoko.

The moment their eyes met she threw herself at him in a hug. "I was so scared. I thought you might die."

Ren swallowed, trying to moisten his dry throat. "What happened?"

Kyoko heard the hoarseness this time and offered him a drink of water before answering. "Mimori shot you. She was going to shoot me and instead of just shooting her with your own gun you tried to get it away from her. You were shot in the leg but because of where the bullet went through you weren't too badly injured." She glanced down, feeling a bit shy due to the fact he had almost died saving her. "I'm sorry you got hurt."

Ren could've kissed her right then. She was the one who had almost died acting on his plan to try to clear her name. This girl who had gone through so much for no real reason. He reached up and brushed the side of her face. A stray piece of hair fell against his fingertips. He hadn't realized it was starting to grow. Now, hopefully she wouldn't have to cut it again.

"What happened with Sho?" he asked, remembering that there would be more to the story.

"He was arrested. Mimori too. They are both in the jail here. Looks like they will probably be hanged." She couldn't quite manage to look happy about that and Ren supposed he could understand. She had known Sho for a long time and she seemed to identify with Mimori.

"As soon as I'm healed enough to travel we can go home," he said softly.

Kyoko nodded. "I'm just glad that you are awake now." Her hand brushed through his hair and he wasn't sure if the warmth he felt was from the sun or her hand. Ren's eyes closed at her touch.

Her hand stilled after a moment, and when he opens his eyes there was a strange look on her face.

"What is it?"

"You- your hair. It's blond."

Ren could feel his heart stop. Of course in all the excitement he had never dyed his hair again. So by now, there would be some of the blond back.

"Yes, I dye it. It is not naturally dark."

"Corn. You look like him." Her voice was soft, almost like a breath.

He smiled up at her. "That's because I am. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I just thought you might be disappointed if you realized he wasn't actually your guardian angel."

A sob and laugh burst forth from her throat and she clapped her hands over her mouth. Kyoko shook her head. "I could never be disappointed in you."

She leaned in a little closer to his face. "And you are my guardian angel. You have protected me every moment since you found out who I was."

Ren stared up at her amber eyes. "I love you, Kyoko."

A blush covered her cheeks. "I love you too."

He reached up and pulled her lips toward his own, longing for a kiss.

But just before their lips touched, the door to the room burst open.

"Kyoko!"

The girl in question jerked back and Ren looked at the door with wide eyes. Yashiro stood breathing hard in the doorway.

"Ren, you're awake!" he exclaimed. Then he realized what he had walked in on and had the decency to feel bad for not knocking first.

"What is it?" Kyoko asked.

And Ren was glad she had spoken because he was sure he wouldn't have been so kind.

"It's Sho. He's escaped."

Ren sat up suddenly. "We have to stop-" he cried out in pain as he attempted to move normally, forgetting the injury to his leg.

"Sheriff! You shouldn't be up." Kyoko scolded.

He leaned back against the pillows. "But we have to stop him. We can find him. Surely, he hasn't gone far."

Yashiro shook his head. "He and Mimori escaped sometime last night. I only just found out."

"Damn it," Ren muttered under his breath.

Kyoko placed a hand on his arm. "We don't need to go after him. People will be looking for him. He's a wanted man now. And I don't want to waste anymore time on him now that my name is cleared."

His eyes met hers and he gently pulled her to him. Their lips met and it was warm and sweet and safe. He pulled away slightly. "I will keep you safe."

She nodded and they moved in for another kiss.

There was a cough near the doorway. "I'll be going now," Yashiro muttered before they heard a door close.

Kyoko felt Ren smile as they kissed again and she couldn't help but smile too. Finally, it was over.

Finally, she was free.

* * *

 **3 weeks later…**

Kyoko fidgeted in her seat on the stage coach. She tugged at the lace that lined the sleeve of her dress. A dress. It had been a while since she'd worn one of those, and yet Ren had insisted on buying her several more before they headed home. He had told her she deserved to wear something as beautiful as she was.

Ren laughed next to her. "Are you going to be okay?" he asked.

She nodded. "Do you think people will like me?"

"They liked you before."

"But that was when I was Kyo." Her voice lowered to a whisper. "Before they knew I was lying to them."

"You only lied because you had to," Ren argued. "And besides, that's why Yukihito and Kanae headed back first to explain things to everyone."

"But what if-" she started but Ren interrupted her.

"No more 'what if's. There's nothing to worry about. I will be right there with you." He told her, taking hold of her hand in his.

The stage coach stopped several minutes later and Kyoko followed behind Ren. As she stepped out, she wasn't sure what she had expected to find. But what she did not expect to find was the entire town waiting for her in front of the town hall.

Yukihito smiled at them as Ren instructed the driver regarding Kyoko's trunk of clothing.

"Everyone was very excited for your return, Kyoko." The deputy placed a hand on her shoulder. "And everyone understands," he whispered.

Tears filled Kyoko's eyes. _They all actually want me here._ She thought, realizing with a start that this was the first time in her entire life that she had ever felt wanted somewhere.

As people all began to talk at once, Kanae interrupted. "Now now, they've been through a lot recently. Let's give them some space and head over for the party."

People murmured in agreement and moved in groups toward the restaurant. Kanae gave Kyoko's hand a comforting squeeze before heading off as well.

The younger girl followed, watching as Yashiro spoke with Ren up ahead. She was about to move forward to try and catch up when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned and saw Hikaru. His face tinged pink, although she assumed that was just the glow of the sunset.

"Hikaru!" she exclaimed, beaming at her boss.

He smiled back and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Welcome back."

"Thank you. And I hope you'll still let me help out around the store. Although, I would understand if you didn't want me to." She could understand that he might not want a liar and accused thief handling his livelihood.

"What are you talking about? Of course you can work at the store." He felt his heart soar as her face lit up and he watched her chatting happily as they headed toward the restaurant. _At least now I understand what I was feeling before,_ he thought with a laugh.

* * *

After two hours, the party was still going strong as Kyoko looked for a way to excuse herself to bed. It was great fun to see everyone again but the last few weeks had been quite tiresome.

She was just about to sneak away when Ren caught her eye from across the room. He gestured toward the porch and she followed.

"How are you feeling?" he asked when she emerged onto the porch.

Kyoko yawned involuntarily in response before covering her mouth and blushing.

He chuckled. "I take it you're just as tired as I am."

"I guess I am." She looked out at the night sky; the stars seemed so much brighter now.

Ren stood next to her. "How does it feel? Knowing your name has been cleared?"

She stared down at her hands as she clasped them in front of herself. "I want to say it feels good but, I don't exactly know what I'm feeling. I'm happy I don't have to hide who I am anymore but I'm not sure what to do now. I don't really have my life anymore."

Ren felt his heart stop. "You mean you aren't sure if you'll stay?" he asked.

Kyoko shrugged. "I know I'll stay for a while, at least until I get some money but then I might need to leave. I'm not sure really where I belong anymore."

He heard it then. The sob that nearly broke free as she tried to hide her sadness. _Does she really think she doesn't belong here?_

"You belong here."

Kyoko looked up, startled by the confidence in his answer. "But-"

He took hold of her hand. "Kyoko, unless you do not want to stay here, you are not allowed to leave. Everyone in town wants you here, but more than anything else," he brushed her hair away from her eyes, "I want you here."

And with those words, Ren pulled her into his arms. The kiss was still warm and sweet and safe but this one was also wet from her tears. As they broke away, Ren smiled at her.

"I suppose now is as good a time as I will ever find."

Kyoko watched in shock as he lowered himself onto one knee. He pulled out a ring from his pocket and held it out to her. "Kyoko, will you marry me?"

Her eyes widened at the sudden proposal. And then she was nodding and crying all over again.

But when Ren slid the ring on her finger, it fit perfectly. And for the first time in her life, she felt what home should feel like.

Home was safe, and filled with people who loved and cared about her. And now that she had found it, she would never leave.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you so much for sticking with me to the end even though it took so long to complete this. I have had the ending figured out since I started the story but some things changed along the way. The biggest thing is that originally Kyoko was supposed to save Ren and get injured in the process but that didn't work so this was the final product.**

 **A note about my other skip beat fics, I will eventually be updating them but i have to get a few other short fics out of my brain before I jump back into it. I love you all and thanks for the support you've given me over the years!**

 **See you soon! ~marauderluverz**


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